Pitfalls for the characterization of self-heating effect in nano-scaled devices

The self-heating effect (SHE) becomes a significant issue from device to circuit level. The accurate assessment of the SHE-induced temperature rise can be critical for future reliability modelling. Although a number of advanced characterization techniques have been proposed, in this study, we identified that all the techniques based on single transistor can lead to serious overestimation due to the low via and interconnect density in back end of line (BEOL). The impact of new materials potentially to be used for the vias and interconnects is further explored.