Gate dielectric breakdown in the time-scale of ESD events

Transmission line pulse (TLP) measurements are used to demonstrate that oxynitride breakdown projections from DC measurements using conventional area and voltage-scaling techniques can be extended to the nanosecond timescale. ESD protection systems can thus be designed to prevent dielectric breakdown. Important concepts in gate dielectric breakdown such as the anode–hole injection model and area and statistical effects are discussed and applied to the nanosecond regime. 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.