Abstract:

Validity of reliability models is crucial since it impacts device performance, cost and technology advancement. Engineers and scientists typically assume that average activation energy, used in qualification specifications and predictions, is constant. We found that activation energy generally increases by about 3% per year, from nearly 0.6 eV in 1975 to 1.0 eV in 1995, while semiconductor component time-to-failure (TTF) doubles every 15 months. Acceleration factor, used for test-to-field analysis, doubles every five years. It is no longer justifiable to assume a constant average activation energy, and future accelerated life tests must be modified accordingly to optimize testing time and cost.

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