Arrhenius equation describes temperature acceleration of failure mechanisms — stating that reaction rates double approximately every 10°C due to exponential temperature dependence, the foundation for translating accelerated test results to field conditions.

What Is Arrhenius Equation?

• Formula: k = A·exp(-Ea/kT) where k is rate, Ea is activation energy, T is temperature, k is Boltzmann constant.
• Key Insight: Failure rate increases exponentially with temperature.
• Purpose: Translate high-temperature test data to room-temperature lifetime.

Activation Energy (Ea): Characterizes temperature sensitivity of failure mechanism (typical: 0.5-1.5 eV).

Acceleration Factor: AF = exp[(Ea/k)·(1/T_use - 1/T_stress)].

Applications: HTOL extrapolation, TDDB modeling, electromigration prediction, thermal cycling analysis.

Failure Mechanisms: Diffusion, chemical reactions, trap generation, metal migration, interface degradation.

Arrhenius equation is mathematical lens for reading acceleration data and making accurate lifetime predictions.