Field acceleration factor for dielectric breakdown of MOS devices

Abstract In this paper a model is presented for estimating the field acceleration factor for dielectric breakdown of SiO 2 . Using the observation that the total charge through the oxide is invariant (for MOS capacitors fabricated by identical process steps) and assuming that the I-V characteristic is dominated by Fowler Nordheim tunneling prior to breakdown, a simple expression for the acceleration factor can be obtained. The expression gives a good fit to experimentally obtained acceleration factors in the literature. It also indicates that the acceleration factor is field dependent such that the logarithm of acceleration factor vs field is not a straight line and care is required while extrapolating the results of accelerated testing.