Stress-induced deceleration of electromigration-driven void motion in metallic thin films

We report effects of biaxially applied stress on the electromigration-driven motion of morphologically stable voids in elastically deforming metallic thin films based on self-consistent numerical simulations of void evolution. We find that under certain electromechanical conditions, the applied stress can cause substantial deceleration of the electromigration-driven void motion, as measured by the migration speed of morphologically stable voids translating along the metallic thin film. This effect reveals a new aspect of the complex evolution of voids in metallic thin films under the action of external fields: deceleration of electromigration-driven void motion and even complete inhibition of such motion may be possible through application of mechanical stress.