A complete stress enhancement model development and verification platform for 32nm technology and beyond

Variability from different sources such as layout-dependent effects due to strain has been a main obstacle against aggressive design rules and reducing corner margins in 32nm node and beyond. This paper reports and demonstrates a model development and verification platform to accurately address layout dependences due to strain. This platform has been successfully used in real design exercises at 40nm technology and is being applied for 32nm technology. Test structures and methodologies of developing and verifying stress enhancement models are presented. The platform has been demonstrated to be flexible enough to account for new layout-dependent reliability behavior in strain engineering technologies.