Damage evolution during cyclic tension-tension loading of micron-sized Cu lines

In this study, the low-cycle fatigue properties (1-15,000 cycles) of electrodeposited Cu, which is frequently used as metallization in the semiconductor industry, is analyzed with respect to its microstructure. Freestanding Cu tensile samples 20 μm × 20 μm × 130 μm were fabricated by a lithographic process. The grain size of the samples was modified by using three different process conditions for electrochemical Cu deposition. All samples were subjected to cyclic tension-tension testing performed with a miniaturized stress-controlled stage in situ in a scanning electron microscope until failure occurred. The number of cycles sustained prior to failure depends on the accumulated creep strain and can be related to the failure strain in a tensile test. It will be shown that the microstructure influences the number of cycles to failure and the failure mode.