This volume addresses the issues related to hot-carrier reliability of MOS VLSI circuits, ranging from device physics to circuit design guidelines. It presents a unified view of the physical mechanisms involved in hot-carrier induced device degradation, the prevalent models for these mechanisms, and simulation methods for estimating hot-carrier effects in the circuit environment. The newly emerging approaches to the VLSI design-for-reliability and rule-based reliability diagnosis are also discussed in detail. Hot-Carrier Reliability of MOS VLSI Circuits is primarily for use by engineers and scientists who study device and circuit-level reliability in VLSI systems and develop practical reliability measures and models. VLSI designers will benefit from this book since it offers a comprehensive overview of the interacting mechanisms that influence hot-carrier reliability, and also provides useful guidelines for reliable VLSI design. This volume can be used as an advanced textbook or reference for a graduate-level course on VLSI reliability.
