Aluminum thin films were electrically stressed in a high‐vacuum furnace and the damage resulting from the electromigration of aluminum ions was monitored by the change in stripe resistance. When high‐purity oxygen was periodically bled into the furnace,R˙ranged between a constant value and zero, depending on the magnitude of &Dgr;R. The proposed model suggests the stabilization of microscopic voids by the formation of a thin oxide film on the void surface.