Breakdown Criteria Selection for Analyzing Advanced Node High-K TDDB Stress Data

Gate oxide breakdown in advanced node high-k devices often occur progressively or in successive steps. Due to this complication, selecting criteria to determine breakdown is a topic of discussion with the assumption that end results would be affected. This work investigates how breakdown criteria would affect the Weibull fitting results and model parameters such as voltage acceleration and projected max use voltage. It was found that there is a range of criteria where model parameters become independent of the criteria selection. Using a criterion within this range would provide consistency in the outcome of reliability studies.