A physics-based, unified gate-oxide breakdown model

A single master equation for a physics based, unified parallel reaction model for gate oxide breakdown at both high and low field has been developed. It has successfully account for a wide range of experimental observations. This new model treats the E (thermal-chemical model) and 1/E (anode hole injection model) dependencies as competing processes. The transition point from one to another will depend on the precursor mix and on the hole current density. For thicker oxides, the precursor mix is more important. For thinner oxides, the large direct tunneling electron current may cause the hole current density to be high enough that the hole capture reaction continue to dominate at lower field.