A model was developed which described stresses, vacancy generation and drift caused by electromigration in metal interconnects. It was shown that the drift kinetics involved 3 main stages. These were an induction period, a quasi-stationary state and a stationary state. The induction period was characterized by an increase in the stress at the ends of a conductor, and drift was absent. The drift began when the yield limit was reached at the cathode edge of the conductor. The drift rate increased, reached a maximum and then decreased down to the stationary value.

Stress Evolution and Drift Kinetics in Confined Metal Lines. S.A.Chizhik, A.A.Matvienko, A.A.Sidelnikov: Microelectronic Engineering, 2000, 50[1-4], 341-7