Modeling and Analysis of Self-Heating in FinFET Devices for Improved Circuit and EOS/ESD Performance

A rigorous analytical thermal model has been formulated for the analysis of self-heating effects in FinFETs, under both steady-state and transient stress conditions. 3-D self-consistent electrothermal simulations, calibrated with experimentally measured electrical characteristics, were used to understand the nature of self- heating in FinFETs and calibrate the proposed model. The accuracy of the model has been demonstrated for a wide range of multi-fin devices, by comparing against finite element simulations. The model has been applied to carry out a detailed sensitivity analysis of self-heating with respect to various FinFET parameters and structures which are critical for improving circuit performance and EOS/ESD reliability. The transient model has been used to estimate the thermal time constants of these devices and predict the sensitivity of power-to-failure to various device parameters, for both long and short pulse ESD situations.