Semiconductors fail whenever they hit the capabilities of their basic durability. This period is named the region of wear-out failures, and reveals the life of various failure modes of semiconductors.

Do semiconductors degrade over time?

Transistor aging (sometimes called silicon aging) is the process of silicon transistors developing flaws over time as they are used, degrading performance and reliability, and eventually failing altogether. Despite the name, similar mechanisms may affect transistors made of any kind of semiconductor.

Do semiconductors degrade?

Some semiconductor devices are diode junction-based and are nominally rectifiers; however, the reverse-breakdown mode may be at a very low voltage, with a moderate reverse bias voltage causing immediate degradation and vastly accelerated failure.