Metal migration induced by electric field and temperature gradients has been studied in aluminum‐silicon and gold‐silicon interdigitized test structures. At current densities of 2×106A/cm2and temperature gradients of 75 °C/cm migration occurred across the Si&sngbnd;SiO2interface. Calculated diffusion profiles show that below 350 °C, mass transport is more rapid with aluminum. At temperatures between 350 and 550 °C, metal migration is more rapid with gold metallization. Metal migration was shown to be a multistaged process without the existence of a unique activation energy.