HC reliability of 0.5 /spl mu/m BiCMOS transistors: dependence on link base slot depth and the design implications for reliability and performance

摘要

Hot carrier (HC) reliability tests on 0.5 /spl mu/m BiCMOS NPN transistors indicate that process and structural factors both impact HC reliability. Important process factors include the dopant profiles in the emitter, active base, link base and extrinsic base regions. A key structural factor is the slot depth which impacts the magnitude and orientation of the E-field near the emitter-base (E-B) junction. E-field simulations support the HC reliability dependence on slot depth and highlight the need to further develop and refine the modeling and simulation tools for "building-in" reliability and optimizing performance.