SEM (Scanning Electron Microscope) Investigation of Silicon Diodes Using the Electron Beam Induced Current Method

摘要

Semiconductor device failure due to an electrical overstress is a primary concern in the nuclear hardening of strategic weapon systems. To acquire the postmortem knowledge necessary to determine the device failure mode, a reliable diagnostic basis in semiconductor physics is necessary. Efforts to achieve a comprehensive understanding of device failure have been hampered by a lack of adequate diagnostic tools and methods of study. This project's primary goal is to develop an experimental tool to study device failure, incorporating the scanning electron microscope (SEM) operated in the electron beam induced current( EBIC) mode. This technique, in conjunction with secondary electron imaging, will provide researchers witha diagnostic tool to qualitatively study the type of failure that occurs in semiconductor devices. Although SEM operation in the EBIC mode has been recognized as an excellent diagnostic tool for device investigators, the Air Force Weapons Laboratory (AFWL) does not possess this basic expertise. The addition of this tool will augment many aspects of ongoing research at the AFWL. To demonstrate the utility of EBIC, this effort will use EBIC and simple auxiliary measurements to determine the failure states of a twin set of specially designed semiconductor diodes.