Dielectric breakdown I : A review of oxide breakdown

T he properties o f thin dielectrics remain very important tbr the reliability o f semiconductor devices. In the first place we think of the gate oxide in integrated circuits. It is well known that defects, contamination and metal impurities are hazardous for a sufficient lifetime of the integrated circuits. Therefore, a large effort is spent on the construction of better clean rooms, in the first place for better yields but also for better reliability of the devices.