Low-Frequency Noise And Defects In Copper And Ruthenium Resistors

1.8-MeV proton irradiation to a fluence of 10(14)/cm(2) does not significantly affect the resistance or low-frequency noise of copper or ruthenium resistors fabricated via modern microelectronic fabrication techniques used to form metal lines. The room-temperature noise of these Cu and Ru resistors is surprisingly similar to that of Cu and Pt metal lines and wires fabricated using late-1970s nanofabrication techniques; however, measurements of the temperature dependence of the noise show that the defect kinetics are quite different among the various materials. A large increase in the noise magnitude observed above 200K in Cu but not in Ru is consistent with the superior resistance to electromigration that Ru lines have shown, relative to Cu.