PHYSICAL MATHEMATICS SEMINAR


TOPIC:		MORPHOLOGICAL INSTABILITIES ON 
		SURFACES OF VOIDS IN METALLIC THIN FILMS


SPEAKER:	DIMITRIOS MAROUDAS
		Department of Chemical Engineering
		University of California, Santa Barbara

Abstract:

A modeling approach will be presented for the analysis of
electromechanically-induced void morphological evolution and failure in
ductile metallic thin films, which are used for device interconnections in
integrated circuits.  Self-consistent mesoscopic numerical simulations of
surface morphological evolution are combined with atomistic calculations
of surface properties and molecular-dynamics (MD) simulations of plastic
deformation mechanisms in the vicinity of void surfaces.  Results will be
presented that demonstrate a coupled mode of surface instability which
leads to formation of electromigration-induced slit-like features and
elastic stress-induced crack-like features on void surfaces.  In addition,
MD results will be presented for the dislocation-mediated mechanism and
the kinetics of void growth in ductile metallic systems subject to
hydrostatic and biaxial tensile strains.  The incorporation of MD-derived
constitutive information for plastic deformation into the mesoscopic
analysis and simulation framework also will be discussed.

DATE:		TUESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2000

TIME:		2:30 PM

LOCATION:	Building 2, Room 338


Refreshments will be served at 3:30 PM in Room 2-349


Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Department of Mathematics
Cambridge, MA  02139