Büttiker Probe-Based Modeling of TDDB: Application to Dielectric Breakdown in MTJs and MOS Devices.

Dielectric layers are gradually being downscaled in different electronic devices like MOSFETs and magnetic tunnel junctions (MTJ) with shrinking device sizes. As a result, time dependent dielectric breakdown has become a major issue in such devices. In this paper we propose a generalized way of modeling the stress-induced leakage current (SILC) and postbreakdown current (PBC) due to time dependent wear-out of the dielectric layer. We model the traps formed in dielectric layer using Büttiker probe and incorporate the Büttiker probe self-energies in standard self-consistent nonequilibrium Green’s function formalism in order to determine SILC and PBC. In addition, we have shown the impact of breakdown in the dielectric layer on the spin current and spin filtering characteristics of an MTJ. The proposed model is generic in nature. It can be extended from MTJs and conventional CMOS technology to any other devices with any type of single and multiple layers of dielectric material(s). [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]