Copper dendrites were produced electrochemically between two biased copper microelectrodes of various patterns localized in integrated microcircuits (ICs). Preliminary atomic force microscopy (AFM) investigations confirmed first that ICs indeed provide favorable sites for the bidimensional growth of copper dendrites. They also allowed identifying important geometrical and electrochemical parameters that influence the untimely growth of copper dendrites observed during the postchemical mechanical polishing cleaning step of the Damascene process, in the microelectronics industry. Among these parameters, the distance between the two copper microelectrodes of the selected patterns probably plays a significant role in the formation of dendrite based short circuits. (C) 2007 The Electrochemical Society.