Modeling of hot-electron-induced characteristic degradations for n-channel MOSFETs

This paper presents a unified theoretical analysis of the hot-electron-induced n-channel MOSFET characteristic degradations. By considering both electron trapping and interface-state generation, the different degradation behaviors observed in experiments are explained. Analytical expressions for the threshold-voltage shift, the channel-mobility degradation, and the drain-current degradation are derived and verified by measuring the hot-electron induced characteristic degradations in MOS transistors with conventional thermal oxide or nitrided oxide as the gate dielectric. This study does not only provide better understanding of the hot-electron-induced degradation of the threshold voltage, channel mobility, and the drain current, but also provides a useful tool for analyzing the reliability of MOS devices and the bias stability of MOS circuits. © 1993.