Interconnect processes

For long, wide wires such as the clock network of a chip running at several GHz, which wire property must be considered in addition to resistance and capacitance?

  1. ADensity
  2. BInductance
  3. CColor
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Answer: B. Inductance

In wide, long, low-resistance wires with fast signal edges, wire inductance can no longer be ignored, causing reflections, overshoot and changes in delay. Clock networks and power grids are designed with inductance, including the current return path, taken into account.

  • A. Density is not a main quantity describing a wire's electrical behavior.
  • B. Correct. At high speed, wire inductance must also be considered.
  • C. Color is not an electrical property.
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More Interconnect processes questions

  1. What is the main reason the wiring material of advanced LSIs was changed from aluminum (Al) to copper (Cu)?
  2. Which correctly describes the damascene process commonly used to form copper wiring?
  3. What is the main purpose of using low-k (low dielectric constant) materials for interlayer dielectrics?
  4. What is the main purpose of barrier metals such as Ta and TaN in copper wiring?
  5. Which correctly describes a via in multilevel interconnects?