I-V curves as a function of temperature of broken down n- and p-type MOS capacitors with different oxide thicknesses are presented. In accumulation, a crossover of the temperature dependent curves is observed. At low voltages the hard breakdown current increases with temperature whereas it decreases with temperature for higher voltages. This behaviour can be straightforwardly linked to the available charge for conduction at the electrodes. MINIMOS simulations as well as theoretical considerations were performed that clearly support this idea.