ABSTRACT
The hot carriers generated by the electronic field may become trapped either in the bulk of the gate dielectric, or in the interface region between the dielectric and the semiconductor. Some of the process measures that have a favorable effect on hot carrier aging may have an unfavorable effect on electrostatic discharge (ESD) immunity. Hot carrier aging includes the charge trapping phenomena, and the effects of the trapped charge on the device, over and above just the hot carrier generation rate. Hot carrier aging can be modeled as a function of the ratio of the substrate to drain currents. Hot carrier generation can be detected either by measuring substrate current or by measurements of light emission. The effect of hot carrier aging can be managed by addressing one or all of the three factors that control the net aging rate: control of hot carrier generation rate, control of carrier trapping rate, and control of device aging rate.
