Analysis of Degradation Data Applied to MOS Devices

Analyzing degradation data is a promising approach to improving reliability estimation. Traditionally, reliability has been assessed by analyzing failure times. As devices become more reliable, and as product technologies become obsolete more quickly, failures can only be obtained in an acceptable amount of time by subjecting devices to very high levels of stress(es), thus increasing the uncertainty of predictions made for use conditions. Experiments designed to collect degradation data may be carried out at less extreme stresses. This paper introduces the Degradation Analysis Framework (DAF), a systematic methodology for dealing with degradation data, and illustrates its use with an example of degradation data obtained from MOS oxide test structures.