A new physics-based model for time dependent dielectric breakdown

A physics-based model for time dependent dielectric breakdown has been developed, and is presented along with test data obtained by NIST on oxides provided by National Semiconductor. Testing included fields from 5.4 MV/cm to 12.7 MV/cm, and temperatures ranging from 60 /spl deg/C to 400 /spl deg/C. The physics, mathematical model, and test data, all confirm a linear, rather than an inverse field dependence. The primary influence on oxide breakdown was determined to be due to the dipole interaction energy of the field with the orientation of the molecular dipoles in the dielectric. The resultant failure mechanism is shown to be the formation and coalescence of vacancy defects, similar to that proposed by Dumin et al.