ABSTRACT
The dielectric strength of an oxide layer is often expressed in terms of the electric field at which has its insulating properties and the insulator is irreversibly damaged. All devices that use silicon dioxide based dielectrics are susceptible to the time-dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) phenomena. As indicated, due to the complex nature of the TDDB mechanism and the statistical interaction with defects, empirical calibration of the reliability of a dielectric system is required. This is normally done by performing accelerated life tests on simple discrete test structures, such as simple capacitors, capacitors with large area or with long edges. With modern technologies and very high quality dielectric films, the drivers of the TDDB mechanism, described above, can be separated into environmental, material and interacting factors: material factors, environmental factors, and interaction factors. The environmental factors, i.e., the voltage and temperature, are controlled by the application environment and are the normal variables in the models.
