Analytical bathtub curve with application to electron device reliability

Abstract

To better understand the physics of degradation of mass-produced electron devices (ED) one has to be able to distinguish between the impact of the favorable statistics-related process resulting in lower failure rates with time and the unfavorable degradation (aging) process leading to higher failure rates. In this analysis it is shown how the degradation-related failure rate can be determined from the analytically approximated experimental bathtub curve and the predicted statistical failure rate (SFR) data. The case, when the SFR is distributed normally, is used as a suitable illustration. The suggested methodology can be employed in the design and analysis of the next ED generations. It can be used also beyond the ED field, when there is a need to assess, in various applied science problems, the roles of the two irreversible processes in question.