Snapback Induced Gate Dielectric Breakdown in Graded Junction MOS Structures

A new type of failure mode of the gate dielectric breakdown in an MOS transistor induced by the snapback phenomena is reported. Unlike a typical gate oxide breakdown which is caused by a voltage stress on the gate, this failure mode is caused by a source-drain bipolar current resulting from the snap...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in22nd International Reliability Physics Symposium pp. 165 - 168
Main Authors Shabde, S.N., Simmons, G., Baluni, A., Back, D.
Format Conference Proceeding
LanguageEnglish
Published IEEE 01.04.1984
Subjects
Avalanche breakdown
Breakdown voltage
Circuits
Degradation
Dielectric breakdown
Electric breakdown
Electrostatic discharge
Protection
Stress
Testing
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Summary:A new type of failure mode of the gate dielectric breakdown in an MOS transistor induced by the snapback phenomena is reported. Unlike a typical gate oxide breakdown which is caused by a voltage stress on the gate, this failure mode is caused by a source-drain bipolar current resulting from the snapback action. This failure mode results in a gate-to-drain short, and was found to require a minimum critical current, Idcrit, after the transistor goes in the snapback. The failure node is exhibited in the input protection structures used in an MOS circuit. The incidence of the failure mode increased with increasing grading of the source-drain junction. (i.e., the Idcrit decreased as the junction grading increased). The ESD breakdown of the inputs are also shown to be a direct result of this failure mode
ISSN:0735-0791
DOI:10.1109/IRPS.1984.362038