Hot carriers injection

Recently I am studying some kind of welder, call capacitive discharge welder, I may be make one to replace my old age big transformer machine, and thus come across with the term above, hot carriers injection.

Eventually, I understand why those nvidia graphic in notebook PC usually fail after few years. It is actually some kind of defect and imperfection of semiconductor material.

As the transistor in a chip become smaller, the oxide layer of the semiconductor become thinner, easily the carrier (either electron or hole) can inject into the oxide layer if the graphic chip become too hot.

The present of the carrier in the oxide layer make the transistor have relatively higher gate leakage and eventually the chip fail.

The carrier can be easily remove with heat, but these kind of damage is permanent, if it already have the room for the carrier, it simply won't be repair so easily. As Murphy's law stated 'anything that can go wrong will go wrong.'

Therefore, trying to reflow the graphic chip or blow it with hot air, simply can not solve the problem. It may last let say few months or few weeks, but it simply won't cure the problem.

Try not to play graphic intensive game on notebook too frequently, it is not a good idea. Change the notebook power plan to Power Saver may actually prolong the notebook life.