Reliability

Which failure can occur when electromigration creates a hillock on a wire?

  1. AOnly open circuits
  2. BA short to an adjacent wire
  3. CAn increase in threshold voltage
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Answer: B. A short to an adjacent wire

In electromigration, voids form where atoms leave, causing open circuits, and hillocks form where atoms accumulate, which can touch adjacent wires or wires above and below and cause shorts.

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More Reliability questions

  1. Which reliability test condition is appropriate for statistically guaranteeing a very low failure rate?
  2. In thin gate oxides, what is the mild breakdown called in which leakage current increases in steps before insulation is completely lost?
  3. Which pair correctly names "failures in which function is suddenly and completely lost" and "failures in which characteristics gradually drift out of specification"?
  4. For typical consumer semiconductor products, which is closest to the usage period commonly assumed in reliability design?
  5. For the same kind of semiconductor, which correctly describes the reliability levels required for consumer and automotive use?