A NEW HOT-CARRIER-INDUCED DEGRADATION MODE UNDER LOW GATE AND DRAIN BIAS STRESSES IN N-CHANNEL MOSFETS

Experimental evidence is presented for an enhanced hot-carrier induced degradation mode in submicron n-channel MOSFETs. Its feature is that remarkable lifetime shortening occurs at a gate bias of near threshold voltage and at drain biases lower than 5 V, rather than at the gate b ias of maximum substrate current condition. Significant interface trap generation without apparent hole trapping is found to be responsible for degradation enhancement under these bias conditions.