A biased percolation model for the analysis of electronic-device degradation

The biased percolation model is proposed for investigating device degradation and failure associated with the generation of defects due to local Joule heating. The degradation process of a thin film is monitored by the evolution of damage pattern, current distribution, macroscopic sample resistance and its fluctuations, defect concentration and device lifetime. The conductor-insulator (CI) and conductor-superconductor (CS) like degradation processes are considered. The results can be used to propose non-destructive indicators for testing the reliability of samples and to interpret experiments