JEDEC 
PUBLICATION 
 
 
 
 
Failure Mechanisms and Models for 
Semiconductor Devices 
 
 
  
JEP122H 
 
(Revision of JEP122G, October 2011)   
 
 
 
   
SEPTEMBER 2016 
 
 
 
JEDEC SOLID STATE TECHNOLOGY ASSOCIATION 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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FAILURE MECHANISMS AND MODELS FOR SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES 
JEDEC Publication No. 122H 
 
 
 
Contents 
Inclusions, deliberate omissions, and resources 
 
 
 
Foreword 
 
Introduction 
 
1  Scope 
 
2  Terms and definitions 
 
3 
 
4  The basic thermal acceleration equation 
 
5  Models for common failure mechanisms 
FEoL Failure Mechanisms 
5.1    Time-Dependent Dielectric Breakdown (TDDB) – gate oxide 
5.2    Hot Carrier Injection (HCI) 
5.3    Negative Bias Temperature Instability (NBTI) 
5.4    Surface inversion (mobile ions) 
5.5    Floating-Gate Nonvolatile Memory Data Retention 
5.6    Localized Charge Trapping Nonvolatile Memory Data Retention 
5.7    Phase Change (PCM) Nonvolatile Memory Data Retention 
BEoL Failure Mechanisms 
5.8    Time-Dependent Dielectric Breakdown (TDDB) – ILD/Low-k/Mobile Cu ion 
5.9    Aluminum Electromigration (Al EM) 
5.10  Copper Electromigration (Cu EM) 
5.11  Aluminum and Copper Corrosion 
5.12  Aluminum Stress Migration (Al SM) 
5.13  Copper Stress Migration (Cu SM) 
Packaging/Interfacial Failure Mechanisms 
5.14  Fatigue failure due to temperature cycling and thermal shock 
5.15  Interfacial failure due to temperature cycling and thermal shock 
5.16  Intermetallic and oxidation failure due to high temperature 
5.17  Tin Whiskers   
5.18  Ionic Mobility Kinetics (PCB) – Component Cleanliness 
Statistics and Modeling Parameter Determination 
5.19  Reliability data/analysis 
5.20  Design of Experiments (DOE) for determination of modeling parameters 
 
6  Activation energies and modeling factors 
 
Annexes 
Annex A – List of references 
Annex B – Differences between JEP122H and JEP122G 
 
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JEDEC Publication No. 122H 
 
 
 
FAILURE MECHANISMS AND MODELS FOR SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES 
Contents 
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Figures 
 
5.1-1    Photograph of TDDB breakdown in a gate oxide – mid-gate 
5.5-1    (a) Example of failure mechanisms scenario affecting ΔVT during data retention (from [5.5.16]),  
 
5.5-2    (a) Spectrum of detrapping time constants immediatly after cycling (black curve) and during data 
and (b) extraction of Eaa for each mechanism (from [5.5.15]). 
 
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retention (red curves), and (b) Resulting ΔVT(tR) transient. 
5.5-3    (a) Comparison of time constant spectra between uniform cycling of duration tcyc and an 
equivalent cycling where all the delays are lumped in a single wait of duration A · tcyc prior to the 
bake phase, and (b) Resulting ΔVT(tR) transients. A = 0.2 results in similar VT loss during data 
retention 
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5.5-4    Extrapolation of SILC bit error rate 
5.8-1    Time-Dependent Dielectric Breakdown (TDDB) in various dielectrics 
5.8-2    Metal stack cross section/schematic 
5.8-3    Normal distribution of breakdown voltage 
5.8-4    Copper short/extrusion 
5.9-1    Examples of Aluminum Electromigration 
5.10-1  Examples of Copper Electromigration 
5.11-1  Aluminum bond pad corrosion 
5.11-2  Electrochemical reaction 
5.11-3  Corrosion rate versus surface mobility 
5.12-1  Examples of Aluminum Stress Migration 
5.13-1  Examples of Copper Stress Migration 
5.14-1  Examples of temperature cycling/thermal shock damage 
5.15-1  Example of interfacial delamination after temperature cycling 
5.17-1  SEM of Tin Whiskers on Matte Tin plated Alloy 42 leads [5.16.4]   
 
5.17-2  Optical Image of a Tin Whisker growing from Relay lead to case [5.16.3]   
5.17-3  FIB - matte tin whisker structure from a temperature cycled specimen [5.16.5] 
5.17-4  Optical Image - Tin Whisker growing from SAC 305 solder over Alloy 42 - matte tin  
5.17-5  Optical image of Tin Whisker on a copper coupon with matte tin plating [5.16.4] 
5.17-6  8 mm long Tin Whisker growing from a bracket holding electronics in a frame. 
5.17-7  Tin Whisker breaking through 10 μm Uralane 5750 coating (9 yr office storage) [5.16.3] 
5.18-1  Resistor corroded open due to trapped MSA residues in epoxy surface [3] 
5.18-2  Electrochemical migration between leads on a QFP 
 
5.18-3  Leakage and corrosion problems with residues on tinned leads due to aggressive flux 
5.18-4  Leakage & corrosion problems w/ BGA components between balls due to poorly cleaned water 
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soluble solderpaste from ball attachment.   
 
 
 
 
5.18-5   Leakage due to large MSA levels on Chip capacitor.  Sulfate levels of 24 μg/in2 (~4 μg/cm2) 
5.19-1   Lognormal Distribution 
5.19-2   Weibull Distribution 
5.19-3   Tracking of lognormal and Weibull distributions 
5.19-4   Lognormal plotted as Weibull 
5.19-5   Weibull plotted as lognormal 
 
Tables 
5.14-1  Values for q for common ULSI material classes 
5.15-1  Values for the Paris Law exponent, m for several different interfacial fracture mechanisms 
5.17-1  Values for the Time-To-Whisker-Nucleation model for various conditions 
5.20-1  Example for temperature cycle schedule 
6-1       Failure Mechanisms and Model Parameters 
 
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JEDEC Publication No. 122H 
 
 
FAILURE MECHANISMS AND MODELS FOR SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES 
 
 
Foreword 
 
This publication provides guidance in the selection of reliability modeling parameters, namely functional 
form, apparent thermal activation energy values, and sensitivity to stresses such as power supply 
voltage, substrate current, current density, gate voltage, relative humidity, temperature cycling range, 
mobile ion concentration, etc.   
 
The failure mechanisms described in the several sections of this publication constitute commonly 
accepted industrial models, validated by a team of reliability experts (SEMATECH/ISMI Reliability 
Council) and buttressed by citations to the most cogent published literature. 
 
Revisions have been made to reflect technology changes, especially as Cu now supplements Al and low-
dielectric-constant insulators are complementing traditional silica. 
 
 
Introduction 
 
Accelerated tests are typically used to find and identify potential failure mechanisms in semiconductor 
devices and to estimate the rate of their occurrence in electronic systems.  The historical approach to 
investigating the relationship between a maximum stress failure rate and a system failure rate is to 
choose a single representative "equivalent" apparent thermal activation energy for a given product or 
product group.  A single, best-estimate apparent activation energy value facilitates accurate estimation of 
the acceleration factor for the device failure rate estimation in the system application.   
 
A word about formats within this document: parentheses ( ) enclose equation numbers; square brackets 
[ ] enclose citation numbers.  All equation, citation, and figure numbers include the subclause number so 
that individual clauses can be modified without disturbing other clauses, except for page numbers.  Thus, 
(5.3.2) is the 2nd equation in 5.3 and [5.11.5] is the 5th citation in 5.11.  The citations can be found in 
Annex A. 
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JEDEC Publication No. 122H 
 
 
 
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