A new model of time evolution of gate leakage current after soft breakdown in ultra-thin gate oxides

Abstract

The post-SBD degradation of ultra-thin gate oxides is investigated by means of experiments, theoretical modeling, and computer simulations. The gate leakage current after SBD increases gradually, and is finally limited by the parasitic resistance. A newly developed model shows that the gate leakage increase of post-SBD MOSFETs even under operating conditions causes a significant impact on LSIs in terms of the power consumption.