Basis of Atomic Diffusion

Abstract Atomic diffusion, or more specifically, electromigration (EM) and stress migration (SM), are described in this chapter. The driving force of atomic diffusion is electron wind in EM and the gradient of hydrostatic stress in SM. In Sect. 1, the fundamental principles of EM are presented. For actual metal lines, which may have various microstructures and be covered with a passivation layer, EM behavior is explained. Then, a method for calculating the divergence of atomic flux due to EM is introduced, and the formulation process is described to help readers understand the application of the calculation method. The formula of the divergence AFD describes the behavior of EM damage well, which affects the reliability of silicon integrated circuits. Based on the AFD formula, a method for deriving the characteristic constants of EM in the line is introduced. In Sect. 2, the basic principles of SM are given through a brief review of typical SM-induced phenomena. The current research trends regarding nanomaterial production using SM and the mechanism of the production are discussed