Accelerated aging testing is based on a thermodynamic temperature coefficient formulated by Von't Hof that states 'for every 10 degree C rise in temperature the rate of chemical reaction will double'. Accelerated aging testing is performed on packaged medical devices to ascertain shelf life and document expiration dates. Real time aging can be performed; however, products are often obsolete by the time a three-year shelf life is validated.
An accelerated endurance test structure and process that provides a wafer-level dielectric test. A wafer-level dielectric testing structure includes a heating element. The heating element may be poly-silicon or metal and is formed as a layer above a tunnel oxide layer of an integrated circuit (IC).