Query: Semiconductor Power Devices: Physics, Characteristics, Reliability

Candidate papers:

abstract: Power Semiconductor Devices Key Components for Efficient Electrical Energy Conversion Systems. Semiconductor Properties. pn Junctions. Short introduction to power device technology. pin Diodes. Schottky Diodes. Bipolar Transistors. Thyristors. MOS Transistors. IGBTs. Packaging and Reliability of Power Devices. Destructive Mechanisms in Power Devices. Power Device Induced Oscillations and Electromagnetic Disturbances. Power Electronic Systems. Appendix. Index.
author_names: Josef Lutz

Heinrich Dr Schlangenotto

Uwe Scheuermann

Rik W De Doncker
title: Semiconductor Power Devices: Physics, Characteristics, Reliability
year: 2011

author_names: Leo Lorenz
title: Semiconductor Power Devices: Physics, Characteristics, Reliability [Book Review]
venue: IEEE Power Electronics Magazine
year: 2019

author_names: Philip Hower
title: Semiconductor Power Devices, Physics, Characteristics, Reliability, by Josef Lutz, Heinrich Schlangenotto, Uwe Scheuermann, and Rik De Doncker, Springer Verlag, Berlin Heidelberg (2011) ISBN 978 3 642 11124 2
venue: Microelectron. Reliab.
year: 2012

abstract: Silicon technology, which is the most mainstream semiconductor technology, poses serious limitations on fulfilling the market demands in high frequency and high power applications. In response to these limitations, wide bandgap III nitride devices, including AlxGa1 xN/GaN heterojunction field effect transistors (HFETs) were introduced at about two decades ago to satisfy these rapidly growing market demands for high power/high frequency amplifiers and high voltage/high temperature switches. The most appealing features of III nitride technologies, and particularly AlxGa1 xN/GaN HFETs, in these applications, are the polarization induced high sheet carrier concentration, high breakdown voltage, high electron saturation velocity, and high maximum operating temperature. Therefore, the development of enhancement mode AlGaN/GaN HFETs is one of the most important endeavours in the past two decades. Low frequency noise (LFN) spectroscopy, empowered by a proper physics based model, is received as a capable tool for reliability studies. As a result, devising a physics based LFN model for AlGaN/GaN HFETs can be capable of not only evaluating the alternative techniques proposed for realization of enhancement mode AlGaN/GaN HFETs, but also more importantly forecasting the reliability, and noise performance of these devices. In this dissertation, for the first time, a physics based model for the low frequency drain noise current of AlGaN/GaN HFETs is proposed. The proposed model, through including the thermally activated and quantum tunneling processes of trapping/de trapping of electrons of channel into and out of the trap sites located both in the barrier and buffer layer of these HFETs, provides a descriptive picture for the LFN behavior of these devices. This work also aims to experimentally investigate the low frequency noise current characteristics of both conventional and newly proposed devices (i.e. fin and island isolated AlGaN/GaN HFETs) at various temperatures (i.e. 150, 300, and 450 K) and bias points in order to address the possible difficulties in performance of these devices. Matching of the trends proposed by the physics based model to the experimentally recorded LFN spectra of AlGaN/GaN HFETs designed according to a newly proposed technological variant for positive shifting the threshold voltage, confirms the accuracy and predicting power of the proposed model. The insights gained from this model on the latter group of devices provide evidence for the challenges of the aforementioned technological variants, and as a result offer assistance in proposing remedies for those challenges. In formulating the LFN model, a massive discrepancy between the predictions of the existing analytical relationships used by others in evaluating the subband energy levels of AlGaN/GaN HFETs and the realities of the polarization induced electron concentration of these HFETs was spotted. Careful evaluation of the polarization properties of these heterostructures unmasked the inaccuracy of the assumption of zero penetration of the electron wave into both the AlGaN barrier layer and the GaN buffer layer as the culprit in this discrepancy. In response to this observation, a model based on the variational method for calculating the first and second subband energy levels of AlGaN/GaN HFETs is developed. On the basis of this model, more accurate analytical frameworks for calculating these subband energy levels in AlGaN/GaN HFETs for a variety of barrier thicknesses and Al mole fractions in the barrier layer are proposed.
author_names: Farzin Manouchehri
title: Reliability Driven Experimental and Theoretical Study of Low Frequency Noise Characteristics of AlGaN/GaN HFETs
year: 2014

abstract: High voltage HFET's fabricated from nitride semiconductors utilizing the AlGaN/GaN heterojunction demonstrate excellent RF performance with RF output power greater than an order of magnitude higher than available from GaAs and InP based devices. However, the nitride devices demonstrate a reliability problem where the dc current and RF output power continually decrease as a function of time. The reliability problem is related to the conduction characteristics of the gate electrode and an electron tunneling mechanism where electrons leak from the gate to the surface of the semiconductor. In this work the physics responsible for this behavior are investigated and described
author_names: Robert Trew

Yu Liu

W Kuang

Griff L Bilbro
title: The Physics of Reliability for High Voltage AlGaN/GaN HFET's
venue: 2006 IEEE Compound Semiconductor Integrated Circuit Symposium
year: 2006

abstract: In semiconductor devices manufacturing, various materials with different physico chemical characteristics are connected and over hundreds of sequenced processing steps are necessary. In this regard, thermomechanical stress due to compressive and tensile strain is a serious aspect inside the device. Residual thermomechanical stress due to large difference in coefficients of thermal expansion between the materials generates reliability problems not only at the bonded interfaces but also for the lifetime of the active regions of the high power semiconductors. In this study, blue LEDs based on gallium nitride (GaN) bonded to a silicon carrier by a gold layer were soldered with eutectic gold tin (AuSn) on a copper board or an aluminum insulated metal (AI IMS) For both boards a reflow process in presence of formic acid vapor was used for soldering. The assemblies were studied using Raman spectroscopy. A finite element model was developed to simulate the thermomechanical stress present in the assemblies. Measured and simulated values were compared and evaluated at room temperature, at 50degC and at 180degC. The results suggest guidelines for the optimization of the assembling process of LED based microelectronic devices.
author_names: E Liu

Fosca Conti

Raffaella Signorini

Enrico Brugnolotto

Sri Krishna Bhogaraju

Gordon Elger
title: Modelling Thermo Mechanical Stress in GaN LEDs Soldered on Copper Substrate with Simulations Validated by Raman Experiments
venue: 2019 20th International Conference on Thermal, Mechanical and Multi Physics Simulation and Experiments in Microelectronics and Microsystems (EuroSimE)
year: 2019

abstract: Short circuit withstand capability is a key requirement for semiconductor power devices in a number of strategic application domains, including traction, renewable energies and power distribution. Indeed, though clearly a non intentional operational mode, sort circuit can be nonetheless a relatively frequent event. Due to its associated considerable electro thermal stress levels, a thorough analysis of both single pulse withstand capability and device aging as a result of repetitive stress are mandatory before widespread deployment of new device technologies. In this paper, the focus is on latest generation commercial gate injection GaN transistors, in the 600 V rating class. Extensive experimental analysis is presented, putting forward an interpretation of the underlying degradation and failure mechanisms, supported by coupled electro thermal device models, incorporating both the functional and structural characteristics of the devices. The findings highlight a remarkable robustness of a specific type of p gate GaN HEMTs, referred to as gate injection transistors (GITs) against short circuit stress, making them a potentially very attractive and competitive technology in the voltage class of relevance.
author_names: Alberto Castellazzi

Asad Fayyaz

Siwei Zhu

Thorsten Oeder

Martin Pfost
title: Single pulse short circuit robustness and repetitive stress aging of GaN GITs
venue: 2018 IEEE International Reliability Physics Symposium (IRPS)
year: 2018

abstract: High voltage HFET's fabricated from nitride semiconductors utilizing the AlGaN/GaN heterojunction or GaAs using field plates demonstrate excellent RF output power performance. The nitride HFET's produce RF output power greater than an order of magnitude higher than available from GaAs and InP based devices, and GaAs FET's fabricated with field plates can produce RF output power about a factor of two greater than standard FET's. However, the FET's demonstrate a reliability problem where the dc current and RF output power continually decrease as a function of time. The problem is more serious in the nitride HFET's, although both nitride based and GaAs based devices suffer reliability problems. The reliability problem is related to the conduction characteristics of the gate electrode and an electron tunneling mechanism where electrons leak from the gate to the surface of the semiconductor. In this work the physics responsible for this behavior are investigated and described. Physics based models suitable for use in RF circuit harmonic balance simulators have been developed, with excellent agreement between measured and simulated data. Design techniques to reduce the reliability problem will be discussed.
author_names: Robert Trew

Ying Liu

W Kuang

Griff L Bilbro
title: Reliability modeling of high voltage AlGaN/GaN and GaAs field effect transistors
venue: SPIE OPTO
year: 2008

abstract: In recent years, a new kind of semiconductor detector called SiPM has been developed to detect a single optical photon as an alternative to PMT APD. SiPM have many advantages in terms of very fast timing response, high gain at low bias voltage, low power consumption, good temperature to voltage stability, insensitive to magnetic fields. Reliability, ruggedness, compactness, no excess light damages and long life span are our favorable characteristics. This device SiPM is a promising to find wide spread uses in nuclear medical imaging application, Environmental chemical, high energy physics and many other fields. Silicon photomultipliers are Silicon single photon sensitive devices built from an avalanche photodiode (APD) array on common Si substrate. The idea behind this device is the detection of single photon events in sequentially connected Si APDs. The dimension of each single APD can vary from 20 to 100 micrometers, and their density can be up to 103 mm2 Every APD in SiPM operates in Geiger mode and is coupled with the others by a polysilicon quenching resistor. Although the device works in digital/switching mode, the SiPM is an analog device because all the microcells are read in parallel making it possible to generate signals within a dynamic range from a single photon to 1000 photons for just a single square millimeter area device. The supply voltage (Vb) depends on APD technology used, and typically varies between 25 V and 70 V, thus being from 30 to 50 times lower than the voltage required for a traditional photomultiplier tubes (PMTs) operation. SiPM has been invented in Russia in Moscow Engineering Physics Institute [1] This design idea was then used with some variations by SensL, Photonique, Hamamatsu, KETEK, Voxtel Inc.
author_names: Chauhan Paresh

Yashwant B Acharya
title: A Comprehensive Study, Characterization Simulation of Silicon Photo Multiplier: A New Device for Low Light Detection
year: 2013

abstract: High voltage HFETpsilas fabricated from the AlGaN/GaN heterojunction demonstrate excellent RF output power performance. The nitride HFETpsilas produce RF output power greater than an order of magnitude higher than available from GaAs and InP based devices. However, the HFETs demonstrate a reliability problem where the dc current and RF output power continually decrease as a function of time. The reliability problem is shown to be related to the conduction characteristics of the gate electrode and an electron tunneling mechanism where electrons leak from the gate to the surface of the semiconductor. In this work the physics responsible for this behavior are investigated and described. Physics based models suitable for use in RF circuit harmonic balance simulators have been developed, with excellent agreement between measured and simulated data.
author_names: J Trew

W Kuang

Yu Liu

Griff L Bilbro
title: Time dependent RF performance degradation modeling of AlGaN/GaN HFETs
venue: MIKON 2008 17th International Conference on Microwaves, Radar and Wireless Communications
year: 2008