An Insight Into the ESD Behavior of the Nanometer-Scale Drain-Extended NMOS Device-Part I: Turn-On Behavior of the Parasitic Bipolar

• Published in: IEEE transactions on electron devices Vol. 58; no. 2; pp. 309 - 317
• Main Authors: Chatterjee, A, Shrivastava, M, Gossner, H, Pendharkar, S, Brewer, F, Duvvury, C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY IEEE 01.02.2011; Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: Analytical models; Applied sciences; Avalanche injection; Cross sections (physics); Crowding; current crowding; Devices; Drains; electron ballasting; Electronic ballasts; Electronic equipment and fabrication. Passive components, printed wiring boards, connectics; Electronics; Electrostatic discharge; Exact sciences and technology; filamentation; hole ballasting; Joining; Logic gates; Modulation; MOS devices; Planes; Resistance; Resistors; Semiconductor electronics. Microelectronics. Optoelectronics. Solid state devices; stages of Bipolar turn-on; Substrates; Transistors; stages of Bipolar turn-on; High strength current; current crowding; hole ballasting; electron ballasting; Electrostatic discharge; Space charge; Avalanche injection; Modeling; Bipolar transistor; Ballast electricity; Nanometer scale; Trigger; n type semiconductor; filamentation; NMOS technology; Resistor; Damaging
• ISSN: 0018-9383; 1557-9646
• DOI: 10.1109/TED.2010.2093010

A second-breakdown phenomenon (It2) in a drain-extended n-type metal-oxide-semiconductor (DENMOS) is associated with complex triggering of a parasitic bipolar transistor. Full comprehension of the problem requires 3-D modeling; however, there is even deficiency in the understanding of the phenomenon occurring in the 2-D cross-sectional plane. We present experiments and models to understand the physics of bipolar turn-on and its impact on the onset of space-charge modulation in a DENMOS device. We present a detailed analysis of the current paths involved during the bipolar turn-on. We show that a strong snapback is triggered due to coupling of the parasitic bipolar turn-on in a deeper region of the p-body and avalanche injection at the drain junction. Furthermore, we show that the ballast resistor formed in the drain region due to current crowding of electrons under high-current conditions can be modeled through a simplified 1-D analysis of the n + /n - resistive structure.