Statistical modeling of silicon dioxide reliability

A technique is presented for predicting lifetime of an oxide to different voltages, different oxide areas and different temperatures. Using the defect density model in which defects are modelled as effective oxide thinning, many reliability parameters such as yield, failure rate, and screen time/screen yield can be predicted. Effects of oxide thickness, process improvements including defect gettering, and alternative dielectrics such as CVD oxides are evaluated in terms of defect density as a function of effective oxide thinning.<>