This paper describes a Reliability Physics Analysis process to assess aging and the potential for early wearout of microcircuits, as documented in SAE ARP6338. As microcircuit feature sizes (gate length, line width, etc.) continue to shrink to near atomic levels, they become increasingly susceptible to aging mechanisms such as Electromigration, Time-Dependent Dielectric Breakdown, Hot Carrier Injection and Bias Temperature Instability effects. These mechanisms are driven by voltage, current and thermal operating stresses resulting in shorter times for aging to progress to the point where wearout can occur. If the times to wearout are shorter than the required lifetimes of the microcircuits in their applications, the microcircuits are called Life-Limited Microcircuits. A brief overview of these aging mechanisms and their impact on the long-life electronics systems used in Aerospace, Automotive, Defense, and other High Performance industries is provided. A summary of the SAE ARP6338 approach and implementation recommendations is also provided along with its importance to automotive Advanced Driver-Assistance Systems and autonomous electronic systems.
