Hole induced dielectric breakdown of thin gate oxide films is investigated using substrate hot hole (SHH) injection technique. The breakdown characteristics due to SHH stress differ from the case of Fowler-Nordheim (FN) tunneling current stress; the gate current increases gradually just before the breakdown. Measured hole-fluences-to-breakdown,2–30 C/cm2,which are much larger than that observed in FN stress,0.1 C/cm2,depend on hole current density. Moreover, the oxide breakdown due to FN stress is accelerated for the oxides subjected to prior hole injection. ©1997 American Institute of Physics.