OS1205 Quantitative Evaluation of Crystallinity of Grain Boundaries

A novel evaluation method of the crystallinity of grain boundaries was proposed by analyzing the quality of Kikuchi lines obtained from the conventional EBSD (Electron Backscatter Diffraction) analysis. This method can evaluate the porous and brittle grain boundaries by using the IQ (Image Quality) values and the CI (Confidence Index) values. Both the IQ and CI values are the parameters which are obtained from the observed Kikuchi pattern obtained from the area where electron beams penetrate during EBSD analysis. The position of the grain boundaries is determined by this CI value, and the crystallinity of the film around grain boundaries is evaluated by the IQ value quantitatively. By using this method, the grain boundary degradation of the electroplated copper thin-film interconnection due to SM (Stress-induced Migration) was evaluated quantitatively and the effectiveness of the concept of grain boundaries based on the ordering quality of atomic arrangement which is different from the conventional one based on the crystal orientation has been shown.