AC versus DC hot-carrier degradation in n-channel MOSFETs

The origins of the enhanced AC hot-carrier stress damage are examined. The enhancement in hot-carrier stress damage under AC stress conditions observed with respect to damage under DC stress conditions can fully be explained by the presence of three damage mechanisms occurring during both DC and AC operation: interface states created at low and mid-gate voltages, oxide electron traps created under conditions of hole injection into the oxide, and oxide electron traps created under conditions of hot-electron injection. It is shown that the quasi-static contributions of these mechanisms fully account for hot-carrier degradation under AC stress. The AC stress model is applied to devices from several different technologies and to several different AC stress waveforms. Excellent agreement is obtained in each case. The results demonstrate the validity of the model for frequencies up to 1 MHz. The absence of any transient effect indicates that the model could be applicable at much higher frequencies