Reliability Degradation Mechanisms of Horizontal Current Bipolar Transistor

The impact of the reverse-bias emitter-base stress and the mixed-mode stress on horizontal current bipolar transistor (HCBT) reliability characteristics is analyzed. Under the stress conditions, hot carriers are generated and injected toward silicon-oxide interfaces above and below HCBT's emitter n
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polysilicon region where the traps responsible for the base current and beta (β) degradations are formed. Different degradation rates of three HCBT structures measured under both stresses suggest various contributions of the top and bottom oxides to total damage. A larger contribution of the top interface under the reverse-bias emitter-base stress and of the bottom interface under the mixed-mode stress is determined. A lower doping concentration in the bottom part of the intrinsic transistor and a shorter emitter polysilicon predeposition oxide etching both reduce the generation of interface traps during stress tests. The time-dependent trap degradation simulations are run on the structures with the realistic doping profiles to explain the measured stress data on various HCBT structures.