US3879840A
Expired / Lapsed
US
⏱️ 0.0 years remaining
Copper doped aluminum conductive stripes and method therefor
Assignee: International Business Machines Corp
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Filing: 1972-12-04
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Granted: 1975-04-29
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Expires: 1992-12-04
Abstract
Abstract This disclosure provides a copper doped aluminum conductive thin film stripe for use as a current-carrying member in a solid state microelectronic configuration which has substantial resistance against circuit failure due to damage caused by current-induced mass transport in the stripe. It has also been discovered for the practice of this invention that the addition of a relatively small amount of copper to an aluminum stripe together with a suitable heat-treatment enhances the extent of its lifetime during current conduction. Preferably, the percentage copper is from the neighborhood of 0.1 percent to the neighborhood of 10 percent by weight composition of copper in the aluminum and with an annealing heat-treatment in the approximate range of 250* to 560*C. However, for certain operational conditions of the stripe a selected percent less than 54 percent copper by weight composition is advantageous.
Inventors
- 👤 Irving Ames
- 👤 Heurle Francois M D
- 👤 Richard E Horstmann
Bibliographic Details
Application Number
—
Jurisdiction
US
Data Source
google_patents
Last Synchronized
2026-11-01 18:21
CPC Classifications
H; H10; H10W; H10W20/00; H10W20/40; H01; H01B; H01B1/00; H01B1/02; H01B1/023; H10D; H10D99/00; H10P; H10P95/00; H10W74/00; H10W74/40; H10W74/43; H10W72/00; H10W72/50; H10W72/531; H10W72/5363; H10W72/551; H10W72/552; H10W72/5522; H10W72/5524; Y; Y10; Y10S; Y10S148/00; Y10S148/02; Y10S257/00; Y10S257/903; Y10S257/904; Y10S438/00; Y10S438/927
Claims Analysis
Total Claims: 17
Claim 1
Independent Claim
16 words
Method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said connecting step occurs during said fabricating step.
Claim 2
Dependent Claim
31 words
Method as set forth in claim 2 including an annealing step which occurs during said connecting step to enhance the electrical connection of said another stripe to said solid state device.
Claim 3
Dependent Claim
14 words
Method of claim 1 wherein said stripe is formed by evaporating the components thereof.
Claim 4
Dependent Claim
23 words
Method of claim 2 wherein said evaporating of said components of said stripe is sequential with respect to said aluminum and said copper.
Claim 5
Dependent Claim
14 words
Method of claim 1 wherein said stripe is formed by sputtering the components thereof.
Claim 6
Dependent Claim
11 words
Method of claim 1 including the step of annealing said stripe.
Claim 7
Dependent Claim
21 words
Method of claim 7 wherein said annealing step is carried out in a temperature range of about 250* to about 560*C.
Claim 8
Dependent Claim
23 words
Method of claim 1 wherein said aluminum alloy includes silicon additive in the amount of about 0.1 to about 3 percent by weight.
Claim 9
Dependent Claim
21 words
Method of claim 1 including the step of: fabricating said another stripe by diffusing said copper additive into said given stripe.
Claim 10
Dependent Claim
23 words
Method as set forth in claim 1 wherein said solid state device comprises a silicon semiconductor device and said given stripe comprises aluminum.
Claim 11
Dependent Claim
16 words
Method as set forth in claim 11 wherein said connecting step occurs during said fabricating step.
Claim 12
Dependent Claim
14 words
Method as set forth in claim 11 including the step of annealing said stripe.
Claim 13
Dependent Claim
24 words
Method as set forth in claim 13 wherein said annealing step is carried out in a temperature range of about 250* to about 560*C.
Claim 14
Independent Claim
131 words
A method for increasing the operational lifetime of a microelectronic configuration comprising the steps of: establishing a microelectronic configuration comprising a solid state device in combination with a given current conductive stripe connected to said device for supplying current thereto wherein failure of operation of said microelectronic configuration occurs through current-induced mass-transport in said given stripe fabricating said given stripe as another stripe comprising an alloy of aluminum with copper additive in the amount of about 0.1 to about 54 percent by weight and having a minimum physical dimension of less than 0.001 inch, and connecting said another stripe to said device for supplying current thereto whereby said microelectronic configuration has said increased operational lifetime because said another stripe is more resistant to said current-induced mass-transport than is said given stripe.
Claim 15
Dependent Claim
23 words
Method as set forth in claim 15 wherein said solid state device comprises a silicon semiconductor device and said given stripe comprises aluminum.
Claim 16
Dependent Claim
108 words
In a method for increasing the operational lifetime of a microelectronic configuration comprising a solid state device in combination with a given current conductive stripe connected to said device for supplying current thereto which is operative at high enough current density to cause an aluminum stripe to fail through current-induced mass-transport in said aluminum stripe, the steps of fabricating said given stripe as a stripe comprising an alloy of aluminum with copper additive in the amount of about 0.1 to about 54 percent by weight and having a minimum physical dimension of less than 0.001 inch, and connecting said stripe to said device for supplying said current thereto.
Claim 17
Dependent Claim
15 words
The method of claim 17 wherein said solid state device comprises a silicon semiconductor device.
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USPTO Annuity & Maintenance Windows
| Annuity Stage | Window Opens | Payment Deadline | Surcharge Period Until | Estimated Fee | Status |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3.5 Years (Year 4) | 1978-04-28 | 1978-10-28 | 1979-04-29 | $2000.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 7.5 Years (Year 8) | 1982-04-28 | 1982-10-28 | 1983-04-29 | $3760.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |
| 11.5 Years (Year 12) | 1986-04-28 | 1986-10-28 | 1987-04-29 | $7700.00 | Window Closed / Lapsed |