Multiple Failure Mechanism in Reliability Prediction

Silicon device reliability engineering assists chip fabrication in all stages of development. Early designs are simulated with failure modeling based on closely related older technologies. The prediction tools model the chip's end-of-life (EOL) based on known failure mechanisms, such as time-dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB), negative bias temperature instability (NBTI), electromigration (EM), and hot carrier injection (HCI). The multiple-temperature operational life (MTOL) testing method, an alternative qualification test, is designed to reveal and classify all substantial failure mechanisms in packaged devices. The Microchip Health Monitoring system has the lab data tested using the MTOL testing method stored in a database. FinFET and other 3D gate devices have long flooded the semiconductor industry. With their growth in the field, the importance of understanding their reliability characteristics increases greatly.