The role of cold carriers and the multiple-carrier process of Si–H bond dissociation for hot-carrier degradation in n- and p-channel LDMOS devices

Abstract We apply our hot-carrier degradation (HCD) model, which uses the information about the carrier energy distribution, to represent HCD data measured in n- and p-channel LDMOS transistors. In the first version of our model we use the spherical harmonics expansion approach to solve the Boltzmann transport equation (BTE), while in the second version we employ the drift–diffusion scheme. In the latter case the carrier energy distribution function is approximated by an analytic expression with parameters found using the drift–diffusion scheme. The model, which has already been verified with nLDMOS transistors, is used to represent the carrier distribution functions, interface state density profiles, and changes of the drain currents vs. stress time in pLDMOS transistor. Particular attention is paid to study the role of the cold fraction of the carrier ensemble. We check the validity of the model by neglecting the effect of cold carriers in HCD modeling in the case of nLDMOS devices stressed at high voltages. In our model, cold carriers are represented by the corresponding term in the analytic formula for the carrier distribution function as well as by the multiple-carrier process of the Si–H bond dissociation. We show that even in high-voltage devices stressed at high drain voltages the thermalized carriers still have a substantial contribution to HCD.