NBTI on smart power technologies: A detailed analysis of two concurrent effects using a re-examined on-the-fly technique

Lower threshold voltage shift due to relaxation effect is known to occur after negative bias high temperature stress of MOS transistors. This relaxation happens on timescales shorter than those used for either wafer level or package level characterization. This may result in too optimistic lifetime estimates. Therefore, new methodologies for lifetime prediction demand new NBTI measurement techniques in Smart Power Technologies. In this work we will show positive aspects and weaknesses of the on-the-fly technique and under which conditions the method may still lead to consistent results.