Reliability aspects of the low-frequency noise behaviour of submicron CMOS technologies
This overview concentrates on reliability aspects of low-frequency (LF) noise in present-day CMOS technologies and transistors. It focuses on how different degradation mechanisms affect the LF noise behaviour and discusses the impact of technological modifications intended to enhance the lifetime of components and circuits. Whenever possible, the physical background will be highlighted, although for a detailed treatment dedicated reviews have to be consulted. The paper consists of two main parts. One covers the degradation mechanisms on a transistor level, including the impact of homogeneous and hot-carrier degradation and the effect of back-end processing steps and, more specifically, plasma damage on the LF noise. In the second part, the noise aspects of the metal interconnect lines related to the occurrence of electromigration are summarized. Because of the downscaling of technologies this aspect gains more and more weight and is, at the same time, a vital part of modern CMOS technology. Throughout the presentation, the possibilities of using noise as a lifetime-predictive tool are discussed and illustrated.