Extraction of parameters and simulation of the hard breakdown I-V characteristics in ultrathin gate oxides

Abstract

Modeling of the post-breakdown current in MOS devices is receiving considerable attention in the last years because of the ever decreasing reliability margins of the gate insulators as a consequence of the ongoing miniaturization trends. In this work, we explore a compact representation for this current after a hard breakdown event suitable for circuit simulation environments. The model is based on a diode-like equation with series resistance. Accurate parameters extraction is accomplished by means of the integral difference function (IDF) method using the exact expression for the current-voltage (I-V) characteristic.