On the oxide thickness dependence of the time-dependent-dielectric-breakdown

In this work, we investigate the reliability of SiO/sub 2/ films ranging from 20 to 65 nm. Time-dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) tests are conducted under constant current injection. Assuming that the logarithm of the median-time-to-failure, In(t/sub 50/), is described by a linear electric field dependence. A generalized law for the long-term reliability of the dielectric, taking into account the applied electric field and the dielectric thickness, is proposed.