Patent ID: 6169415
Filing Date: 2001-01-02
Classification: G01R,H01L

Abstract:
A characteristic evaluation apparatus for insulated gate type transistors in which at least two insulated gate type transistors that differ from each other only in mask channel width are used for evaluation and the characteristic of a first insulated gate type transistor having a wide mask channel width serves as a reference, to evaluate the characteristic of a second insulated gate type transistor having a narrow mask channel width, said apparatus comprising: a threshold voltage estimation means that extracts the threshold voltage of said first transistor, estimates the threshold voltage of said second transistor, and employs a value as estimated, as a first estimated value; an extraction means in which (i) a difference between a gate voltage of said first transistor and said extracted threshold voltage of said first transistor is defined as a first gate overdrive, and a difference between a gate voltage of said second transistors and said first estimated value is defined as a second gate overdrive, (ii) in an X-Y plane whose X-axis is said mask channel width and Y-axis is source-drain conductance, a virtual point at which a change of Y coordinate value is estimated to be approximately zero when said first and second gate overdrives are finely changed, is extracted from a characteristic curve exhibiting a relationship between said mask channel widths of said first and second transistors and said source-drain conductance, (iii) values of the X coordinate and Y coordinate at said virtual point are defined as second and third estimated values, respectively, and (iv) a slope of said characteristic curve at said virtual point is extracted and a value of said slope is employed as a fourth estimated value; a threshold voltage determination means in which (i) from said second to fourth estimated values, optimum second to fourth estimated values are found with which the change of said third estimated value is equal to the product of the change of said second estimated value and said fourth estimated value, in reply to fine changes of said first and second gate overdrives, (ii) an optimum first estimated value is determined which corresponds to said optimum second to fourth estimated values, and (iii) a true threshold voltage of said second transistor is determined based on said optimum first estimated value; and a channel narrowing determination means that determines a difference between said mask channel width and an effective channel width, based on said true threshold voltage.