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Failures, although unwanted, are necessary to understand in detail in order to manufacture, package, and field semiconductor components and electronic systems. Failure mechanisms fall into four broad categories

  • Dielectric Failure Mechanisms
  • Diffusion and Bulk Defects
  • Interconnect Failure Mechanisms
  • Package Level Failure Mechanisms
  • Transistor Failure Mechanisms
  • Use Condition Failure Mechanisms

This material describes a number of failure mechanisms in detail, providing a basis for the student understand how they occur, the physics that drive the mechanisms, their reliability impact (if any), and techniques or methods to mitigate them.


Dielectric Failure Mechanisms

Diffusion and Bulk Defects

Failure Mechanisms

Interconnect Failure Mechanisms

Memory Failure Mechanisms

Package Level Failure Mechanisms

Transistor Failure Mechanisms

Use Condition Failure Mechanisms