The Role of Power Dissipation on the Progressive Breakdown Dynamics of Ultra-Thin Gate Oxides

The connection between the leakage current increase in ultra-thin gate oxides associated with the progressive dielectric breakdown and the power dissipation dynamics at the breakdown spot is investigated. Using a simple equivalent circuit model and the transmission properties of mesoscopic conducting systems, it is shown that the current stabilization during a constant voltage stress is linked to the gradual transfer of dissipated power from the bottleneck of the breakdown path to the semiconductor electrodes.