Aluminum-based metallization enhances device reliability

Motorola Semiconductor Products Sector of Phoenix, AZ, has developed an aluminum-alloy top-metal transistor design that is capable of delivering median times to failure (MTTF) levels of over 100 years at 200 degrees Celsius. The system, designed for third-generation and fourth-generation two-GHz laterally diffused metal-oxide-semiconductor transistors, has been tested at the Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, NM. Motorola's new aluminum top-metal design is capable of outperforming conventional one-layer metal gold designs.