Dynamic stress experiments for understanding hot-carrier degradation phenomena

The results of inhomogeneous hot-carrier injection experiments in which static and dynamic stresses are applied to n-MOSFETs are presented. A qualitative model in which holes play a key role for the final formation of interface states is developed. The holes are injected and trapped within the strained oxide region. The hole-injection process is controlled by hole traps in the oxide, close to the interface. With this model, a large number of dynamic and static hot-carrier stress experiments are consistently explained. Finally, a simple method by which the lifetime of a device under real operation can be predicted from dynamic stress experiments is given