ECE 650R - Reliability Physics of Semiconductor Devices

Note:

Prerequisites: EE 612, EE658, and EE 654 would be helpful, but are not essential.

Course Details

Lecture Hours: 2 Credits: 2

Counts as:

Experimental Course Offered:

Fall 2006

Catalog Description:

This course will focus on the physics of reliability of small semiconductor devices. In traditional courses on device physics, the students learn how to compute current through a device when a voltage is applied. However, as transistors are turned on and off trillions of times during the years of the operation, gradually defect accumulates within the device so that at some point the transistor does not work anymore. The course will explore the physics and mathematics regarding how and when things break - a topic of great interest to semiconductor industry.

Required Text(s):

None.

Recommended Text(s):

  1. Advanced Semiconductor Fundamentals , 2nd Edition , R.F. Pierret , Prentice Hall , ISBN No. 0-13-061792-X
  2. Fundamentals of Modern VLSI Devices , Yuan Taur and Tak H. Ning , Cambridge University Press , 1998 , ISBN No. 0-521-55056-4
  3. Semiconductor Material and Device Characterization , D.K. Schroeder , John Wiley and Sons , ISBN No. 0-471-73906-5

Lecture Outline:

Lectures Lecture Topics
5 Reliability of Modern Semiconductor Devices Operation of Semiconductor Devices Reliability Defined Scaling and Reliability A Brief History of Reliability of Physics Topics Discussed in this course.
3 Mathematics of Reliability Distribution Functions: Gaussian, Logistics, and Weibull, 2D-Binomial Distribution, log-normal plots Data analysis and theory of error margins Differential Equations and Finite Difference Methods Solutions of Steep Equations
5 Theory and Practice of General Characterization Techniques Threshold voltage shift measurement techniques Charge pumping technique: Single and Multiple Frequency Technique Spatial Profiling with Charge pumping. GIDL measurements Transconductance Measurement Techniques SILC measurements: Theory and implementation Floating probe measurements
4-5 Transistor Reliability: Hot Carrier Degradation The Basic Phenomena and a simple Model Physics for Kf The Lucky Electron Model (Exercise: Write a MATLAB code) Monte Carlo models (Exercise: A code is given, use it). Dependence of substrate bias Experimental Technique to probe the energy of the electrons Physics of Bond-Dissociation Theory of Silicon-Hydrogen bonds by ab-initio calculation Theory of Silicon-Hydrogen bond breaking Experiment techniques of STM Physics of Diffusion: Theory of hopping and classical diffusion Theory of anomalous diffusion by continuous time random walk H vs. H+ diffusion Experimental technique to explore diffusion HCI degradation in various devices(Optional) Classical MOSFET FLASH memory Nanotubes/Nanobundle Anomalous SILCin FLASH Implications for Future Transistors
6 Transistor Degradation: Negative Bias Temperature Instability The problem defined and the history of the problem. A simple model for NBTI and other versions of the elementary theory Physics for Kf: Inversion layer holes: Tunneling into the bonds: Eox vs. gate-voltage dependence Experimental Technique the distribution of interface states Physics of Bond-Dissociation: Theory of Silicon-Hydrogen bonds by ab-initio calculation Theory of Silicon-Hydrogen bond breaking Experiment technique Physics of Diffusion 1D vs. 2D diffusion Experimental technique to explore diffusion.
5 Time-Dependent Dielectric Breakdown TDDB problem defined and history of the problem A Simple Overall Model for TDDB 2D percolation model to illustrate the concept of statistical distribution Model for Trap generation: Anode Hole Injection Tunneling Impact ionization Hole Transmission Statistics of TDDB Position determination of BD spots Correlated vs. uncorrelated BD Spatial vs. Temporal correlation and implications of lifetime TDDB issues in semiconductor industry
Topics we did not discuss - Conclusions

Assessment Method:

none