AC hot-carrier degradation due to gate-pulse-induced noise

Hot-carrier degradation mechanisms under AC stress are investigated by taking into account gate-pulse-induced noise effects. It is found that the increase of AC hot-carrier degradation is due to the wiring inductance effect in ULSI circuits and in measurement systems. Except for this noise effect, other peculiar effects at the falling and/or rising edges of the gate pulse can be disregarded. As a result, the lifetime under AC stress conditions can be predicted using the DC lifetime and duty cycles. In addition, circuit impedance guidelines for suppressing induced noise are proposed, based on a detailed analysis of noise mechanisms.<>