As device sizes are downscaled to nanometer, Random Telegraph Noise (RTN) becomes dominant. It is indispensable to accurately estimate the effect of RTN. We propose an RTN simulation method for analog circuits. It is based on the charge trapping model. The RTN-induced threshold voltage fluctuation are replicated to attach a variable DC voltage source to the gate of a MOSFET by using Verilog-AMS. In recent deca-nanometer processes, high-k (HK) materials are used in gate dielectrics to decrease the leakage current. We must consider the defect distribution characteristics both in HK and interface layer (IL). This RTN model can be applied to the bimodal model which includes characteristics of the HK and IL dielectrics. We confirm that the drain current of MOSFETs temporally fluctuates in circuit-level simulations. The fluctuations of RTN are different in MOSFETs. RTN affects the frequency characteristics of ring oscillators (ROs). The distribution of RTN-induced frequency fluctuations has a long-tail in a HK process. The RTN model applied to the bimodal can replicate a long-tail distribution. Our proposed method can estimate the temporal impact of RTN including multiple transistors.

The modeling of random telegraph noise (RTN) of MOS transistors is becoming increasingly important. In this paper, a novel method is proposed for realizing automated estimation of two important RTN-model parameters: the number of interface-states and corresponding threshold voltage shift. The proposed method utilizes a Gaussian mixture model (GMM) to represent the voltage distributions, and estimates their parameters using the expectation-maximization (EM) algorithm. Using information criteria, the optimal estimation is automatically obtained while avoiding overfitting. In addition, we use a shared variance for all the Gaussian components in the GMM to deal with the noise in RTN signals. The proposed method improved estimation accuracy when the large measurement noise is observed.

In order to analyze an impact of threshold voltage (Vth) fluctuation induced by random telegraph noise (RTN) on LSI circuit design, we measured a 40-nm 6-Tr-SRAM TEG which enables to evaluate individual bit-line current. RTN phenomenon was successfully measured and we also identified that the transfer MOSFET in an SRAM bit-cell was the most sensitive MOSFET. The proposed word line boosting technique, which applies slightly extra stress to the transfer MOSFET, improves about 30% of detecting probability of fail-bit cells caused by RTN.

Random telegraph noise (RTN) is a phenomenon that is considered to limit the reliability and performance of circuits using advanced devices. The time constants of carrier capture and emission and the associated change in the threshold voltage are important parameters commonly included in various models, but their extraction from time-domain observations has been a difficult task. In this study, we propose a statistical method for simultaneously estimating interrelated parameters: the time constants and magnitude of the threshold voltage shift. Our method is based on a graphical network representation, and the parameters are estimated using the Markov chain Monte Carlo method. Experimental application of the proposed method to synthetic and measured time-domain RTN signals was successful. The proposed method can handle interrelated parameters of multiple traps and thereby contributes to the construction of more accurate RTN models.

As MOS transistors are scaled down, the impact of randomly placed discrete charge (impurity atoms, traps and surface states) on device characteristics rapidly increases. Significant variability caused by random dopant fluctuation (RDF) is a direct result of this, which urges the adoption of new device architectures (ultra-thin body SOI FETs and FinFETs) which do not use impurity for body doping. Variability caused by traps and surface states, such as random telegraph noise (RTN), though less significant than RDF today, will soon be a major problem. The increased complexity of such residual-charge-induced variability due to non-Gaussian and time-dependent behavior will necessitate new approaches for variation-aware design.