A future of function or failure? [CMOS gate oxide scaling]

Author

Alam, M. ; Weir, B. ; Silverman, A.

Volume

18

Issue

2

fYear

2002

fDate

3/1/2002 12:00:00 AM

Firstpage

42

Lastpage

48

Abstract

Transistors are scaled in each successive technology generation to increase circuit speed and to improve packing density. However, as the devices get smaller and the gate oxides thinner, ensuring their reliability becomes increasingly difficult. The simple question is: based on the current reliability specifications, will 99.99% of the ICs produced today with given technology remain functional for at least ten years into the future? This is a question that device engineers, circuit designers, and system architects must grapple with as we move into the unknown territory of sub-0.1 μm CMOS technology.

Keywords

CMOS integrated circuits; Weibull distribution; dielectric thin films; failure analysis; integrated circuit reliability; leakage currents; semiconductor device breakdown; 0.1 micron; CMOS technology; ICs; MOSFET; Weibull distribution; accelerated testing; device scaling; gate dielectric; gate oxides; high-k dielectrics; leakage current; oxide failure; oxide thickness reduction; reliability specifications; voltage scaling; Atomic measurements; Bridge circuits; Circuits and systems; Degradation; History; Insulation; MOSFETs; Semiconductor device reliability; Voltage; Weibull distribution;

fLanguage

English

Journal_Title

Circuits and Devices Magazine, IEEE

Publisher

ieee

ISSN

8755-3996

Type

jour

DOI

10.1109/101.994857

Filename

994857