STUDIES OF SECOND BREAKDOWN IN JUNCTION DEVICES.
Abstract
The report is divided into three sections. The first section is concerned with a study of second breakdown characteristics of transistors and how they are affected by the internal current distribution. The results of this study, which included the use of temperature-sensitive phosphors to reveal current distributions, have emphasized how intimately the susceptibility of the transistor to second breakdown is linked to the distribution of current or energy dissipation within the transistor. The second section concerns the study of the effect on second breakdown of crystallographic defects, detectable by means of x-ray diffraction microscopy. The susceptibility to second breakdown of about 1500 epitaxial planar silicon transistors diffused on two wafers was measured; the current construction of second breakdown was marked on most of these transistors. The third section presents an outline of the characteristics of second breakdown which is used to provide an understanding of the variety of approaches that the transistor industry has used to specify conditions of transistor operation free of second breakdown. These approaches are reviewed and discussed with the aim of maximizing their usefulness. (Author)
Document Details
- Document Type
- Technical Report
- Publication Date
- Dec 01, 1965
- Accession Number
- AD0626389
Entities
People
- H. A. Schafft
- J. C. French
Organizations
- National Institute of Standards and Technology