Abstract: Based on the accelerated life experiment and the measurement and alysis of the resistance and 1/f^γ noise of metal film interconnects in VLSI with different levels of electromigration damages, we get the experimental law that the power density at 3Hz and the frequency parameter γ of 1/f^γ noise become larger with the eacerbation of the electromigration damages. With the same level of electromigration damages, the relative change of 1/f^γ noise is about 2000 times larger than that of resistance. For the first time, it is reported that γ becomes larger with the electromigration process. Therefore, the power density and γ of 1/f^γ noise can be more sensitive parameters to represent the electromigration in metal interconnects than the parameter of resistance employed currently.

Key words: VLSI, metal interconnects, electromigration, 1/f noise