Temperature acceleration of time-dependent dielectric breakdown

A model is proposed for predicting the temperature dependence of time-to-breakdown t_BD in MOS circuits. While a previous study proposed a field-dependent activation energy, this model predicts that the activation energy for t_BD is dependent on both the oxide quality and the applied field. This explains the wide range of activation energies reported in the literature. The modeling of the activation energy and temperature acceleration factor as a function of t_BD is introduced in order to compare test results from different oxide technologies. The activation energy is found to increase with the breakdown time. This model provides good estimates of oxide lifetime for voltages down to 5 V and for temperatures between 25 and 150 degrees C. On the basis of the proposed model, an oxide with a lifetime of 1000 years at 25 degrees C is expected to last 47 years at 75 degrees C and 4.8 years at 125 degrees C.