A typical air bridge is an aluminum conductor suspended across an air-filled
cavity
to connect two components of an integrated circuit, two transistors for example.
The air-filled cavity has a low dielectric constant which reduces cross-talk between
neighboring conductors and improves speed and efficiency of the integrated circuit.
However, current air bridges must be kept short because typical aluminum conductors
sag too much. Accordingly, one embodiment of the invention forms air-bridge conductors
from an aluminum-beryllium alloy, which enhances stiffness and ultimately provides
a 40-percent improvement in air-bridge lengths.