Burn in Hours Charged against the Product Life Remaining
Accelerated burn in hours deduct directly from product life reserves based on activation energy kinetics and must be contractually capped to prevent premature field wear out.
Electromigration Kinetics
Diffusion Mechanism
Physical model describing the transport of material caused by the gradual movement of atoms in a conductor due to high current density. Manufacturers focus on electromigration kinetics to predict the timing of void formation or metal whisker growth in high speed signal traces and fine pitch interconnects. As electrons collide with the ion cores of the lattice, momentum is transferred and atoms physically shift position over many thousands of hours.
Current Load
Calculating the exact rate depends on current density, metal grain structure and local temperature elevations within the trace. Designers manage electromigration kinetics by widening copper paths or using specific alloys to slow down the inevitable depletion of material. High currents in small spaces accelerate this movement towards a state of total disconnect.
Once a void begins to form, the reduction in cross section increases current density locally and triggers a runaway failure loop.
Kinetics Threshold
Long term viability depends on maintaining current levels below the limit where atomic drift becomes critical. If the metal temperature stays low, the atoms remain largely fixed despite the high flow of electrons. Predictions based on these kinetics provide the upper limit for power cycles on modern integrated circuits.