Patent ID: 8056039

Claim:
An interconnect structure for an integrated circuit (IC) device, the structure comprising: an elongated, electrically conductive line comprising one or more segments formed at a first width, w 1 , and one or more segments formed at one or more additional widths, w 2 . . . w N , with the first width being narrower than each of the one or more additional widths; wherein the relationship of the total length, L 1 , of the one or more conductive segments formed at the first width to the total lengths, L 2 . . . L N , of the one or more conductive segments formed at the one or more additional widths is selected such that, for a given magnitude of current carried by the conductive line, a critical length with respect to an electromigration short-length effect benefit is maintained such that a total length of the conductive line, L=L 1 +L 2 + . . . +L N , meets a minimum desired design length regardless of the critical length; wherein L C represents the critical length of an equivalent interconnect structure formed entirely at the first width w 1 for the given magnitude of current, and wherein the relationship between the total length L 1 of the one or more segments formed at the first width, the total lengths, L 2 . . . L N , of the one or more segments formed at the one or more additional widths and L C is given as follows: ∑ i = 1 N ⁢ ( w 1 w i ) ⁢ L i ≤ L C ; wherein N is the number of different widths in the structure; and wherein the total length of the conductive line, L, is selected so as to compensate for width effects in which a threshold length product, (jL) th , reduces with increasing width, with j representing current density, such that a correction term A(w,t)=L th /L max is a correction term that accounts for the width effects, the correction term dependent on the width, w, and a thickness, t, of a given segment, wherein L max represents a maximum critical length and L th is the actual critical length for a segment showing width effects, and wherein the relationship between the total length L 1 of the one or more segments formed at the first width, the total lengths, L 2 . . . L N , of the one or more segments formed at the one or more additional widths and L C is given as follows: ∑ i = 1 N ⁢ ( w 1 w i ) ⁢ ( A 1 ⁡ ( w 1 , t 1 ) A i ⁡ ( w i , t i ) ) ⁢ L i ≤ L C .