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A Study of the Electrotransport in Thin Films: An Advanced Method for the Study of Electrotransport in Thin Films Using Electrical Resistance MeasurementsTo date, very little is understood about electrotransport in thin films. One reason for this is the lack of methods in which electromigration can be adequately monitored dynamically. In this thesis, a new nondestructive method for the study of the electrotransport phenomenon in thin aluminum films is presented. This method makes use of electrical resistance measurements of various regions along the test sample to monitor changes in resistance resulting from electromigration. The advantage of this method is that resistance changes can be observed long before void formation can be seen using standard microscopy methods. In order to achieve the best efficiency using this method, special consideration must be given to the design of the sample. Design problems and their respective solutions are given. The results of the electrical resistance measurements are interpreted by means of photographs taken with an scanning electron microscope. The increase in resistance of the aluminum samples is interpreted to be due to void formation. The expected decrease in resistance near the anode was never observed. It is shown that mass accumulation takes on the form of hillocks and whiskers on the surface of the aluminum film, which does not contribute appreciably to conductivity.
Document ID
19960015654
Acquisition Source
Headquarters
Document Type
Contractor Report (CR)
Authors
Hummel, R. E.
(Florida Univ. Gainesville, FL United States)
Slippy, W. A., Jr.
(Florida Univ. Gainesville, FL United States)
Date Acquired
August 17, 2013
Publication Date
April 30, 1970
Subject Category
Electronics And Electrical Engineering
Report/Patent Number
NASA-CR-200504
NAS 1.26:200504
Accession Number
96N71139
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NGR-10-005-080
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Work of the US Gov. Public Use Permitted.
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