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Death by a thousand cuts: The physics of device failure through a series of activated, microscopic events
Author(s) -
Holden A. J.,
Allen R. W.,
Beasley K.,
Parker D. R.
Publication year - 1988
Publication title -
quality and reliability engineering international
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.913
H-Index - 62
eISSN - 1099-1638
pISSN - 0748-8017
DOI - 10.1002/qre.4680040308
Subject(s) - weibull distribution , series (stratigraphy) , threshold voltage , arrhenius equation , materials science , voltage , mosfet , activation energy , statistical physics , computational physics , physics , electrical engineering , engineering , mathematics , chemistry , statistics , transistor , organic chemistry , biology , paleontology
Abstract A physical model describes device failure in terms of a series of n microscopic events (such as defect creation) which are describable in terms of an identifiable activation energy. The results show a ‘Weibull like’ time dependence, but the temperature dependence is not of the simple Arrhenius form. Application is made to the ‘dark’ leakage current in a PIN photodiode and to the deviation in threshold voltage in a MOSFET. In particular the threshold voltage is shown to depend on a series of activated processes, and the required number of such processes to cause failure increases with the width of the gate electrode.