Published online by Cambridge University Press: 15 February 2011
Thin polycrystalline aluminum films were investigated by high-resolution ac noisemeasurements before and after damaging by high direct current. Immediately after the interruption of the dc-stress a transient noise component was observed that was inversely proportional to the square of the frequency f (1/f2 -noise). It was caused by discrete jumps in the resistance presumably due to the relaxation of mechanical stress. The second component of noise was stable and in all cases approximately proportional to 1/f. The spectral density of 1/f-noise showed characteristic discrete steps as a function of damaging time, in contrast to the resistance which increased almost continuously up to the failure of the film. This indicates that nucleation-and-growth processes of mobile defects were observed in the noise measurements. Thus noise measurements might help to understand the microscopic process of electromigration.