A destructive electrical breakdown study of metal-oxide-semiconductor device under accumulation and pre-avalanche modes

Abstract A metal-oxide-semiconductor heterostructure is a prominent solid-state device used extensively in photo detection and logic operations. The insulating dielectric layer is crucial for the device’s performance. When operated under dynamic and high electric field conditions, leakage current due to Fowler–Nordheim tunneling in oxide, leads to high power consumption. The injection of hot carriers into oxide can create pin-holes and cause oxide breakdown, further degrading device characteristics. In this study, we tested the robustness of a metal-oxide-semiconductor device under dark conditions using fast ramp and sinusoidal gating signals. We analysed the accumulation, depletion, deep-depletion, and pre-avalanche states over various durations. This simple approach helps us determine the device’s safe operational limits by providing insights into the oxide and semiconductor breakdown processes. We discussed the amplitudes of displacement current against gating rates in accumulation and deep-depletion/pre-avalanche states, noting that symmetry loss at higher frequencies indicates oxide deterioration. This gating strategy is applicable to devices with either directly grown silicon dioxide or high-k oxides, making it suitable for applications like surveillance, adaptive optics, and LiDAR, where power dissipation management is crucial.