Designing in reliability in advanced CMOS technologies

Assessment of design implications due to degradation of CMOS devices is increasingly required in the latest technologies. This paper presents selected topics relevant to realize an efficient design-in reliability methodology in the latest generation CMOS technologies. NBTI is discussed in terms of characterization using On-The-Fly (OTF) methodology. Extension of OTF method is discussed using bias patterns to gain insights into NBTI under analog operation. A reliability simulation methodology is discussed against requirements for optimization and integration within an existing design flow. The features of this methodology are illustrated using some simple design examples.