Reliability assessment techniques for silicon planar semiconductor components and impatt diodes
Reliability assessment techniques for silicon planar semiconductor components and impatt diodes
The thesis is presented in two parts, describing in the first part the investigation of the prospective usefulness of low-frequency noise as a parameter sensitive to transistor degradation, and in the second part the investigation of appropriate reliability test methods for IMPATT diodes. In the first part, the surface-state dependent low-frequency noise was shown to be theoretically related to the surface-sensitive elements of the more conventional parameters of bipolar and M0S transistors. But many experiments conducted to stimulate the degradation of the active devices generally failed to stimulate elements common to noise and gain or threshold voltage. The exceptions were those bipolar components whose sensitivity to the effects of polarisation, at the surface resulted in the classic condition of gain degradation by increased exposure of carriers to surface recombination centres. The conclusion was that noise was not generally correlative with the degradation of silicon planar devices. And where occasional correlation did obtain, the conventional parameters were more readily measured. In the second part of the research, the response of IMPATT diodes to different stress conditions established that increased temperature accelerated their normal degradation in a predictable way only when the diodes were stressed with normal dc power applied and controlled in a constant-voltage mode. Normal degradation was manifested initially by increased thermal resistances and ultimately by short-circuits, both of which were caused by the progressive interaction of the contact metal tisations. The theoretical relationships between large-signal rf performance and the junction 'temperature of IMPATT diodes were verified experimentally, so relating the observed drift of thermal resistance to rf behaviour and enabling the prediction of the rf performance obtainable in service, from the responses to elevated ' temperature dc testing.
University of Southampton
Sinnandurai, Francis Nihal
1978
Sinnandurai, Francis Nihal
Sinnandurai, Francis Nihal
(1978)
Reliability assessment techniques for silicon planar semiconductor components and impatt diodes.
University of Southampton, Doctoral Thesis.
Record type:
Thesis
(Doctoral)
Abstract
The thesis is presented in two parts, describing in the first part the investigation of the prospective usefulness of low-frequency noise as a parameter sensitive to transistor degradation, and in the second part the investigation of appropriate reliability test methods for IMPATT diodes. In the first part, the surface-state dependent low-frequency noise was shown to be theoretically related to the surface-sensitive elements of the more conventional parameters of bipolar and M0S transistors. But many experiments conducted to stimulate the degradation of the active devices generally failed to stimulate elements common to noise and gain or threshold voltage. The exceptions were those bipolar components whose sensitivity to the effects of polarisation, at the surface resulted in the classic condition of gain degradation by increased exposure of carriers to surface recombination centres. The conclusion was that noise was not generally correlative with the degradation of silicon planar devices. And where occasional correlation did obtain, the conventional parameters were more readily measured. In the second part of the research, the response of IMPATT diodes to different stress conditions established that increased temperature accelerated their normal degradation in a predictable way only when the diodes were stressed with normal dc power applied and controlled in a constant-voltage mode. Normal degradation was manifested initially by increased thermal resistances and ultimately by short-circuits, both of which were caused by the progressive interaction of the contact metal tisations. The theoretical relationships between large-signal rf performance and the junction 'temperature of IMPATT diodes were verified experimentally, so relating the observed drift of thermal resistance to rf behaviour and enabling the prediction of the rf performance obtainable in service, from the responses to elevated ' temperature dc testing.
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Published date: 1978
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Local EPrints ID: 459994
URI: http://eprints.soton.ac.uk/id/eprint/459994
PURE UUID: 4d4d0e03-aaf8-4668-bda6-741c50fefa36
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Date deposited: 04 Jul 2022 17:33
Last modified: 04 Jul 2022 17:33
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Author:
Francis Nihal Sinnandurai
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