Measurement and modeling of a new width dependence of NMOSFET degradation

NMOS transistors with widths between 1.2/spl mu/m and 10/spl mu/m and length of 0.8/spl mu/m have been stressed for up to 5000 hours. Investigating the threshold voltage shift a new width dependence of degradation has been measured, analysed and modeled by a simple theory. Because of the increasing degradation of NMOSFETs with decreasing width this effect will be more and more important for small-channel LOCOS transistors.