Intrinsic and Metal-Catalyzed Dielectric Breakdown

We have developed a continuum-based trapping model to describe the process of dielectric breakdown.  The model incorporates quantum based trap-to-trap tunneling probabilities as well as tunneling probabilities and barrier lowering across the metal-dielectric interface.  A rate-based expression for trap generation is included in the formulation.  The model is able to reproduce the short-time and long time behavior seen in conventional current versus time measurements of breakdown and successfully reproduces both intrinsic breakdown processes (due to hot electrons and/or holes) as well as metal catalyzed breakdown processes such as seen when metals such as copper are deposited directly atop dielectrics and exposed to accelerated testing processes.  We believe this is one of the first models of its type to integrate both behaviors into a single theoretical framework and also provides a link betwen continuum-based methods and discrete percolation-based methods for the correlation or prediction of dielectric breakdown.