An efficient methodology to evaluate BEOL and MOL TDDB in advanced nodes

Back-end-of line (BEOL) and Middle-of-line (MOL) time-dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) lifetime extrapolations are significantly impacted by process variations as the dielectric processing becomes increasingly complex on advanced technology nodes. In order to evaluate the true intrinsic reliability behavior, the impact of process variations needs to be decoupled. Process variations, when overlooked, can cause sampling artefacts which can affect extrapolated lifetime up to 5 orders of magnitude. We propose an efficient yet straightforward method to decouple die-to-die variations from the intrinsic TDDB behavior. The proposed method helps determine TDDB lifetimes without needing extensive measurements. The methodology is demonstrated for both BEOL and MOL TDDB lifetime extrapolations.