New insight into hot-electron-induced degradation of n-MOSFETs

The channel electric field is found to be as important as the substrate current in understanding hot-electron-induced (MOSFET) degradation. It is shown that only when the combined effect of the channel field and substrate current is considered can all the experimental results, covering a wide range of bias conditions, channel lengths, and oxide thickness, be fully accounted for. It is demonstrated that long-channel MOSFETs are still prone to hot-electron-induced degradation in analog circuits where a 10-V supply is used. A novel characterization methodology to ensure hot-electron reliability in various types of circuits is presented.<>