Keithley Instruments Inc. - Semiconductor Device Labs

• Overview	• Measurement Example	• Introducing ACS-Basic Edition	• Test Solution
• Products Commonly Used	• Related Materials	• Other Customer Types

Overview

The semiconductor device/microelectronics laboratory is an integral part of the modern curriculum in electrical engineering education. It allows undergraduate students to apply what they’ve learned in their device physics and VLSI courses. In the semiconductor device lab course, students learn semiconductor micro/nano fabrication technologies, processing, and electrical characterization through a “hands-on” experience. The educational experience includes becoming familiar with process design, simulation, and integration. Once these concepts are understood, the student will then fabricate, characterize, and evaluate a variety of semiconductor devices such as diodes, bipolar and field-effect transistors, passive components, and even integrated circuits devices.

For all of the semiconductor devices studied in the lab, the most common electrical characterization methodologies are the:

Typical I-V Plot on a MOSFET

Typical C-V Profile Plot

1. Current vs. Voltage (I-V) test for showing the relationship between the DC current through and electronic device and the DC voltage across its terminals

2. Capacitance vs. voltage (C-V) test for characterizing semiconductor material and structure parameters such as interface trap density, fixed charge, and oxide charge.

Measurement Example

Topics typically covered in the semiconductor device/microelectronics teaching lab include the fabrication and characterization of a variety of devices:

	1. The MOS Capacitor
	Topics

C-V curves (High Frequency:100kHz):
Doping type – Oxide thickness – Flatband voltage – Threshold voltage – Bulk doping – Maximum Depletion Width – Sensitivity of the inversion layer to equilibrium: voltage sweep rate and direction – Light and temperature effects.

I-V curve:
Charge built up (measure V-Time plot with low I sourcing). Oxide capacitance determination. Comparison with C-V curves.

C-V curve (Quasistatic) combined with C-V curves:
Surface potential Ψ_s as function of the applied voltage – Interface states density D_it = f(Ψ_s) of Si (100) compared to Si(111): influence of orientation and post processing annealing.

C-V curves (High Frequency: 100kHz):
Mobile oxide charge density (Bias Temperature Stress: 200°C, 10 min, ±10V)

	2. Bipolar Junction Transistor
	Topics

Forward Common Emitter output characteristics:
Ic = f (Vce>0,Ib), Iceo (f) measurement.

Forward CE input characteristics:
Ib = f (Vbe) for several Vce positive values.

Forward Gummel plot: log Ic, log Ib = f(Vbe >0).

Gains βf = Ic/Ib and af determination.

βf as function of log(Ic): low and high injection effects.

Non ideal characteristics: Early Voltage.

Reverse CE output characteristics: Ic=f(Vce<0,Ib), Iceo(r).

Reverse CE transfer characteristics: Ib=f(Vbe) for several Vce negative values.

Reverse Gummel plot: logIe, logIb=f(Vbc>0).

Gains βr = Ie/Ib and ar determination.

βr function of log(Ie): low and high injection effects.

Vce(sat) = Vbe(on) – Vbc(on) determination for a given Ib current.

Ebers Moll model building and comparison to experiment.

C-V characteristics of the BE and CE junctions. Base doping concentration.

	3. Sub-micron integrated MOSFET
	Topics

Output characteristics: IDS = f(V_DS,V_GS):
Type of p-MOSFET (enhancement or depletion), Channel Length Modulation parameter (λ) Effective channel length as function of V_DS in the saturation region (V_DS<–3V)

Transfer characteristics:
I_DS = f(V_GS) and Transconductance g_m = f(V_GS) in the linear region (V_DS = –0.1V): Determination of the threshold voltage V_T and of the transconductance factor k. Derivation of the effective channel mobility μ_eff as function of V_GS.

Body Bias characteristics:
I_DS = f(V_GS,V_BS>0), determination of the γ factor in the linear region (V_DS = –0.1V). Doping concentration substrate.

Subthreshold characteristics:
log (I_DS) = f(V_GS) for several high V_DS values: Drain Induced Barrier Lowering (V_T shift) effect.

Substrate current characteristics:
log (I_bs) = f(V_GS) for several high V_DS values: Hot carrier injection effects. Incidence on output characteristics at high drain levels.

Model of output characteristics using long channel and short channel equations:
comparison to experiments.

Introducing ACS-Basic Edition

ACS Basic Edition maximizes the learning process for engineering students studying basic electronics devices as well as accelerating graduate student research when characterizing next generation semiconductor or nanoscale devices. When paired with one or more of Keithley’s Series 2600A System SourceMeter® instruments, ACS Basic Edition is a powerful, yet easy-to-use component characterization and curve tracing tool. It is delivered complete with a comprehensive suite of parametric characterizations, so it can quickly and easily provide the results needed to understand how basic electronics devices operate or understand the electrical properties of novel devices or materials.


When you need to acquire some data on an electronic device or packaged part quickly, the wizard-based user interface developed for ACS Basic Edition makes it easy to find and run the test you want, like this common FET curve trace test.	Much like a traditional analog curve tracer, ACS Basic Edition can generate a family of curves on an electronic device or packaged part quickly but also offers the flexibility to save, compare, and correlate results easily.

Key Features and Benefits:

Fast time to first measurements - Simple installation, intuitive test selection wizard, and built-in tests
No coding needed - ACS's intuitive GUI simplifies getting I-V tests, analysis, and results quickly
Optimized for component test, verification, and analysis applications
Hardware flexibility - Add or remove instruments dynamically to meet individual test needs
Pre-existing application libraries - An incredibly rich set of quick and easy-to-access test libraries
Flexible modular software architecture makes it easy to scale up your system and adapt your applications as new testing needs emerge
FREE optional off-line software license makes it simple to develop new test sequences on another PC - no need to tie up a system needed for ongoing work

Learn more now!

Test Solution

At the heart of the semiconductor device lab is the parameter analyzer. The easy-to-use Model 4200-SCS Semiconductor Characterization System performs lab-grade DC and pulse device characterization, real-time plotting, and analysis with high precision and sub-femtoamp resolution. Combined with the 4200-CVU Integrated Option , the Model 4200-SCS now offers semiconductor test users the flexibility to create a solution that integrates DC, pulse, and C-V testing capabilities, all in the same space-saving chassis and in one integrated test environment.

Keithley's Series 2400 SourceMeter® instruments

Series 2600A System SourceMeter instruments

For simple and quick measurements on active components such as diodes, transistors, op-amps, and the latest in semiconductor device architectures, Keithley’s Series 2400 SourceMeter® instruments and Series 2600A System SourceMeter instruments combine multiple test functions in one instrument, including a precision power supply, true current source, and a DMM. Series 2600A instruments also incorporate an arbitrary waveform generator, V or I pulse generator with measurement, an electronic load, and a trigger controller.

When designing and experimenting on low resistance, low power semiconductor devices, it’s critical to manage power to avoid destroying these devices. Characterizing the resistance of modern materials and semiconductor and nanoelectronic components demands the ability to source very low currents and measure very low voltages. Keithley’s delta mode (current reversal) resistance measurement capability combines the low current DC sourcing capabilities of the Model 6220 or 6221 with the Model 2182A’s low voltage measurement accuracy, making it ideal for making low resistance measurements (down to 10nΩ) for characterizing on-resistance parameters, interconnects, and low power semiconductors.

The free downloadable LabTracer® 2.0 software allows users to configure and control up to eight Series 2600A or 2400 SourceMeter channels quickly and easily for curve tracing or device characterization. It provides a simple graphical user interface for setup, control, data acquisition, and graphing of DUT data from SourceMeter instruments. When used together, LabTracer and SourceMeter instruments offer lab users a powerful, easy-to-use, and economical alternative to chassis-based solutions.

Series 3400 Pulse/Pattern Generators with pattern generation and extensive control over a wide variety of pulse parameters, including pulse amplitude, rise time, fall time, width, and duty cycle capabilities make it very adaptable to the needs of a wide ranged of users, including nanoelectronics researchers, semiconductor device researchers, RF device designers, and educators.

Products Commonly Used

Clicking any of the following links will take you directly to each product’s web page, where you’ll find links to manuals, software, and drivers for that product.

4200 Semiconductor Characterization System

SourceMeter instruments

Pulse Generators

Current Sources/Nanovoltmeters

Related Materials

Learn More Today

Brochures

Semiconductor Characterization Systems

SourceMeter instruments
Product Intro

Pulse / Pattern Generation

Series 3400 Pulse and Pattern Generators

Product Data Sheets

University Library

Handbooks

White Papers

4200-SCS

SourceMeter instruments

Current Sources / Nanovoltmeters

Application Notes

4200-SCS

SourceMeter instruments

Pulse Generators

#2851 Making Charge-Pumping Measurements with the Model 4200-SCS Semiconductor Characterization System and Series 3400 Pulse/Pattern Generator

Current Sources / Nanovoltmeters

Other Customer Types

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