Stress-induced leakage current (SILC) is an increase in the gate

leakage current In electronics, leakage is the gradual transfer of electrical energy across a boundary normally viewed as insulating, such as the spontaneous discharge of a charged capacitor, magnetic coupling of a transformer with other components, or flow ...

of a

MOSFET upright=1.3, Two power MOSFETs in amperes">A in the ''on'' state, dissipating up to about 100 watt">W and controlling a load of over 2000 W. A matchstick is pictured for scale. In electronics, the metal–oxide–semiconductor field- ...

, used in

semiconductor A semiconductor is a material with electrical conductivity between that of a conductor and an insulator. Its conductivity can be modified by adding impurities (" doping") to its crystal structure. When two regions with different doping level ...

physics. It occurs due to defects created in the

gate oxide The gate oxide is the dielectric layer that separates the metal gate, gate terminal of a MOSFET (metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistor) from the underlying source and drain terminals as well as the conductive channel that connects ...

during electrical stressing. SILC is perhaps the largest factor inhibiting device miniaturization. Increased leakage is a common failure mode of electronic devices.

Oxide defects

The most well-studied defects assisting in the leakage current are those produced by

charge trapping Transistor aging (sometimes called silicon aging) is the process of silicon transistors developing flaws over time as they are used, degrading performance and reliability, and eventually failing altogether. Despite the name, similar mechanisms may ...

in the oxide. This model provides a point of attack and has stimulated researchers to develop methods to decrease the rate of charge trapping by mechanisms such as nitrous oxide (N₂O) nitridation of the oxide. SILC is linked to the trap density in an oxide, i.e. the density of defects. The SILC may be measured to determine the neutral trap density in that oxide. However, the oxide traps responsible for SILC are not necessarily responsible for oxide breakdown, as SILC and oxide breakdown have different annealing kinetics.

References

Semiconductor device defects {{Electronics-stub