Model-independent determination of the degradation dynamics of thin SiO2 films

The degradation dynamics of thin SiO2 films is analyzed using a two-step stress procedure. The results point out that the degradation proceeds in two stages (with quite different time constants) which have an effect in the current evolution. It is shown that the fitting of the I-t characteristics can provide quantitative information on the degradation (degradation rate) and breakdown (mean-time-tobreakdown), without any assumption on the degradation mechanism. © 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.