Cost-Effective Analytical Models of Resistive Opens Defects in FinFET Technology

Abstract

FinFET technology has become an attractive candidate for high-performance and power-efficient applications. However, its susceptibility to defects increases due to the complexity of the process fabrications and smaller feature sizes. This article proposes compact and low-cost analytical models to evaluate the delay increase in FinFET-based circuits due to resistive open defects. The models rely on electrical simulations to precharacterize the circuit library. Analytical expressions are developed for the three types of resistive opens that may occur in FinFET-based logic cells using multifin and multifinger structures. These types of resistive opens include: a resistive open at the drain or source of the transistors (RODS), a resistive open affecting the gate of a single transistor, and a resistive open affecting the gates of both nMOS and pMOS transistors. Compact analytical models are also developed to evaluate the delay increase due to the resistive open defects under process variations. Independent and correlated process variations are taken into account. The analytical models have been validated against SPICE electrical simulations. The proposed analytical models can be used to evaluate the detectability of resistive open defects, significantly reducing the cost of dealing with different defect sizes. Potential applications of the developed analytical models are delineated. This work allows us to have higher quality and reliable electronic products.