Method of forming electrical interconnects having electromigration-inhibiting segments to a critical length

A method comprising:

• forming a plurality of equidistant rows of aligned windows in a planar surface;
• depositing electromigration-inhibiting material over the planar surface and into the windows to provide electro-migration inhibiting plugs in the windows extending beyond the planar surface;
• removing the portion of said plugs extending beyond the planar surface to form the plugs with surfaces co-planar with said planar surface surrounding the plugs;
• and
• forming electrically conductive segments coplanar with the planar surface, abutting and electrically interconnecting the plugs in each respective row of rows of windows containing said plugs, each said segment having a length in the range 100–300 microns and the plugs separating neighboring segments by a distance that is less than a critical length Lc equal to no more than about one micron,
• wherein in each said row the conductive segments and plugs together form a conductor having a length L, and wherein in each said row there is a number of windows equal to or more than (L/Lc)−1.

A method comprising:

• forming a conductive layer of a first electrically conductive material on an insulating layer overlying a semiconductor region, the conductive layer including a substantially planar surface;
• forming a row of windows in the planar surface of the conductive layer extending to said insulating layer, wherein each window is separated from an adjacent window by a distance that is equal to or less than a predetermined critical length, Lc, selected to inhibit electromigration;
• filling each of the windows with electro-migration inhibiting plugs such that each plug is abutted against neighboring portions of the conductive layer, and wherein the electro-migration inhibiting plugs comprise a different material than the first electrically conductive material;
• and
• planarizing the plugs so that surfaces of the plugs and the planar surface are substantially co-planar;
• and
• removing portions of said conductive layer to define a conductor comprising electrically conductive segments interconnecting said plugs, each said plug separating neighboring segments by a distance that is small compared to the length of a segment,
• wherein the conductor has a length, L that is greater than the critical length, Lc, and
• wherein the row includes a number of windows is equal to or more than (L/Lc)−1.