Invited: Toward Accurate, Large-scale Electromigration Analysis and Optimization in Integrated Systems

TL;DR

This paper reviews the current state of electromigration analysis in integrated circuits, emphasizing the need for physics-based models to improve accuracy and reliability in future high-performance systems.

Contribution

It contrasts empirical and physics-based EM models and highlights open challenges for practical implementation of accurate, large-scale EM analysis.

Findings

Physics-based models offer higher accuracy than empirical methods.

Current research has advanced fast EM computation techniques.

Open problems remain for practical deployment of physics-based EM analysis.

Abstract

Electromigration, a significant lifetime reliability concern in highperformance integrated circuits, is projected to grow even more important in future heterogeneously integrated systems that will service higher current loads. Today, EM checks are primarily based on rule-based methods, but these have known limitations. In recent years, there has been remarkable progress in enabling fast EM computations based on more accurate physics-based models, but such methods have not yet moved from research to practice. This paper overviews physics-based EM models, contrasts them with empirical models, and outlines several open problems that must be solved in order to enable accurate physics-based and circuit-aware EM analysis and optimization in future integrated systems.