Design and Implementation of a Data Acquisition System with In-Situ Picoammeter for Automated Reliability Testing

Abstract

In recent years, the military has been exploring the use of wide bandgap semiconductors (WBGS) such as gallium nitride (GaN) and silicon carbide (SiC) due to their promising material properties, as compared to silicon (Si). Understanding the reliability of these high-performance WBGS devices is paramount to their implementation in military systems. However, it remains to be tested because good-quality reliability data is needed, but it is difficult and expensive to produce. This thesis looks at the design and implementation of a modular reliability testing subsystem in the form of a novel data acquisition system. First, a system was designed to perform automated, in-situ leakage current measurements of up to four devices under test (DUT)with sub-nA resolution. Next, a wide sample of devices consisting of a resistor, two Zener diodes, a power diode, two GaN diodes, and a field effect transistor (FET) were subjected to various voltage sweep and reverse-bias tests that were recorded by the system. Finally, the results of those validation tests were processed and analyzed. The system achieved leakage current resolutions below 100 pA, demonstrating its ability to measure various devices.

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Mar 01, 2023
Accession Number
AD1212984

Entities

People

  • Richard A. Ramos

Organizations

  • Naval Postgraduate School

Tags

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Compound Semiconductors
  • Data Acquisition
  • Dielectric Permittivity
  • Electronics Industry
  • Electronics Laboratories
  • Failure Mode And Effect Analysis
  • Field Effect Transistors
  • Measurement
  • Modules (Electronics)
  • Operating Systems
  • Power Electronics
  • Reliability
  • Semiconductor Devices
  • Semiconductors
  • Silicon Carbide
  • United States
  • United States Naval Academy

Readers

  • Aerospace Test and Evaluation
  • Semiconductor Device Technology
  • Systems Analysis and Design

Technology Areas

  • Microelectronics
  • Microelectronics - Microelectromechanical Systems