Channel hot carrier impact on the reliability performance of PMOS submicron transistors

Channel hot carrier (CHC) effects in PMOS transistors increase the drive current and reduce the threshold voltage (Vt). While these changes improve the device switching speed, the decreased Vt renders the transistor harder to "turn off". This work focused on defining the punch through voltage (BVDSS) of PMOS transistors from a CMOS submicron process as a function of gate length and stress voltage. A model and predictions of PMOS device lifetimes based on the CHC-induced BVDSS degradation is presented.