What are the best practices for ensuring CMOS scaling reliability?

1 Design for reliability

One of the best practices for ensuring CMOS scaling reliability is to adopt a design for reliability (DFR) approach, which involves incorporating reliability-aware techniques and tools throughout the design process, from system-level to circuit-level. DFR can help you optimize the trade-offs between performance, power, area, and reliability, as well as identify and mitigate potential failure mechanisms and sources of variability. Some examples of DFR techniques are adaptive voltage scaling, error correction codes, redundancy, fault tolerance, and self-healing.

2 Process optimization

Another best practice for ensuring CMOS scaling reliability is to optimize the fabrication process of CMOS devices, which can affect their electrical characteristics, variability, and degradation. Process optimization can involve choosing the appropriate materials, doping profiles, gate stacks, interconnects, and packaging, as well as improving the process control and uniformity. For instance, some of the process optimization techniques that have been used to enhance CMOS scaling reliability are high-k dielectrics, metal gates, strained silicon, finFETs, and 3D integration.

4 Monitoring and management

A fourth best practice for ensuring CMOS scaling reliability is to monitor and manage the operation and environment of CMOS devices, which can influence their degradation and failure rates. Monitoring and management can involve using sensors, actuators, controllers, and software to measure and adjust various parameters, such as voltage, temperature, frequency, and workload, that can affect the reliability of CMOS devices. Furthermore, monitoring and management can enable proactive and reactive actions, such as alerting, diagnosing, repairing, or replacing CMOS devices, that can prevent or mitigate reliability issues. Some examples of monitoring and management techniques are thermal management, voltage management, aging management, and fault management.

5 Reliability modeling and simulation

A fifth best practice for ensuring CMOS scaling reliability is to use reliability modeling and simulation, which can help you estimate and evaluate the reliability of CMOS devices, as well as their impact on the system performance and functionality. Reliability modeling and simulation can involve using mathematical, statistical, or physical models, as well as computer-based tools, to describe and analyze the failure mechanisms, modes, and effects of CMOS devices, as well as their dependence on various factors, such as design, process, operation, and environment. Some examples of reliability modeling and simulation tools are SPICE, TCAD, and Monte Carlo methods.

6 Reliability standards and benchmarks

A sixth best practice for ensuring CMOS scaling reliability is to follow and adopt the reliability standards and benchmarks that have been established by the industry and the research community, which can provide guidance, criteria, and metrics for assessing and comparing the reliability of CMOS devices. Reliability standards and benchmarks can help you ensure the compliance, compatibility, and interoperability of CMOS devices, as well as their suitability for different applications and markets. Some examples of reliability standards and benchmarks are JEDEC, IEEE, ITRS, and NBTI.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?