A new gate oxide lifetime prediction method using cumulative damage law and its applications to plasma-damaged oxides

The Cumulative Damage Law for the electrical stress, which correlates charge-to-breakdown with constant current injection (Q/sub bd/) to time-to-breakdown with constant-voltage stress (t/sub bd/), is theoretically derived from the defect generation model. Based on this law, we propose a new gate oxide lifetime prediction method. Although in some cases, the degradation of gate oxide induced by the plasma and ion implantation processes can not be distinguished by t/sub bd/ measurement, the new method allows an accurate and relevant evaluation of process-induced gate oxide degradation.