Avellán Hampe, AlejandroAlejandroAvellán HampeMiranda, EnriqueEnriqueMirandaSell, BernhardBernhardSellKrautschneider, WolfgangWolfgangKrautschneider2024-06-242024-06-242003In: 2003 IEEE International Reliability Physics Symposium proceedings : 41st annual ; Dallas, Texas, March 30 - April 4 2003. - Piscataway, NJ : IEEE Service Center, 2003. - S.580-5810780376498https://hdl.handle.net/11420/48018In this work, we focus our interest on the temperature dependence of soft breakdown conduction (SBD), mainly in the range in which real devices are commonly operated (-20°C<T<160°C). A thorough experimental study involving samples with different oxide thicknesses and substrate types is presented, and the results are interpreted in terms of an extended version of the quantum point contact model (QPC) for the non-zero temperature case. Even though several approaches attempting to explain the SBD I-V characteristics have been proposed, analytical modeling of its temperature dependence has always been restricted to a single bias condition. In contrast, we provide a simple parameterization of the experimental data which accounts for both I-V and I-T characteristics within a consistent framework based on the physics of mesoscopic conductors. The magnitude of the current flowing through the SBD spot essentially depends on the barrier height encountered by incoming electrons, while the shape of the I-V characteristics is dictated by the particular features of the spot and the potential drop distribution.enAnalytical modelsConductorsElectric breakdownElectrodesElectronsPhysicsShapeTemperature dependenceTemperature distributionThreshold voltageTechnology::621: Applied Physics::621.3: Electrical Engineering, Electronic EngineeringConference Paper10.1109/RELPHY.2003.1197815Conference Paper