Contents

• 1. Introduction
• 2. High-Voltage and Power Devices
  • 2.1 High-Voltage Device Types
    • 2.1.1 Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor
    • 2.1.2 Insulated Gate Bipolar Transistor
  • 2.2 Device Design Techniques
    • 2.2.1 Vertical and Lateral Devices
    • 2.2.2 Reduced Surface Field Technique
  • 2.3 Smart Power Devices
    • 2.3.1 Isolation
    • 2.3.2 Industrial Examples
  
  
• 3. Reliability in Semiconductor Devices
  • 3.1 Reliability in General
    • 3.1.1 History of Reliability
    • 3.1.2 Keywords and Definitions
    • 3.1.3 The Bathtub Curve
    • 3.1.4 Reliability Calculations and Statistics
    • 3.1.5 Reliability and Yield
  • 3.2 Failure and Degradation Mechanisms
    • 3.2.1 Mass Transport
    • 3.2.2 Oxide- and Interface-Related Failure and Degradation Mechanisms
    • 3.2.3 Bulk Semiconductor Related Reliability Issues
    • 3.2.4 Overvoltage and Electrostatic Discharge
    • 3.2.5 Environmental Impacts
  
  
• 4. Device Simulation and Parameter Modeling
  • 4.1 Semiconductor Equations
    • 4.1.1 Poisson's and Continuity Equation
    • 4.1.2 Carrier Transport Equations
    • 4.1.3 The Drift-Diffusion Model
    • 4.1.4 Higher-Order Transport Models
  • 4.2 Parameter Modeling
    • 4.2.1 Mobility
    • 4.2.2 Carrier Generation and Recombination
    • 4.2.3 Thermal Modeling
    • 4.2.4 Additional Physical Effects
  • 4.3 Carrier Energy Distribution Function
    • 4.3.1 Carrier Temperature Estimation in the Drift-Diffusion Model
    • 4.3.2 Distribution Function Approximations
  • 4.4 Summary
  
  
• 5. Impact-Ionization Generation
  • 5.1 Basics of Impact-Ionization
    • 5.1.1 Ionization Rate
    • 5.1.2 Ionization Integral
  • 5.2 Modeling Approaches
    • 5.2.1 Local Electric Field Based Modeling
    • 5.2.2 Non-Local Extensions to Local Field Models
    • 5.2.3 Lucky Electron Model
    • 5.2.4 Carrier Temperature Based Modeling
    • 5.2.5 Distribution Function Based Modeling
    • 5.2.6 Energy Driven Paradigm
  • 5.3 Case Study: Simulation of Breakdown and Snap-Back
    • 5.3.1 Specifications
    • 5.3.2 The Snap-Back Curve
    • 5.3.3 Structure Variations
    • 5.3.4 Simulation Difficulties
    • 5.3.5 Discussion
  
  
• 6. Hot-Carrier Reliability Modeling
  • 6.1 Characteristics of Hot-Carrier Degradation
    • 6.1.1 Multiple-Particle Process
    • 6.1.2 Giant Isotope Effect
  • 6.2 Review of Modeling Approaches
    • 6.2.1 Lucky Electron Approach
    • 6.2.2 Hess Model
    • 6.2.3 Energy Driven Approach by Rauch and La Rosa
    • 6.2.4 Bravaix Model
  • 6.3 Distribution Function Based Modeling
    • 6.3.1 Model Implementation
    • 6.3.2 Model Evaluation
    • 6.3.3 Model Discussion
    • 6.3.4 Modifications
  • 6.4 Acceleration Integral Estimation in Drift-Diffusion
    • 6.4.1 Distribution Function Based Estimation
    • 6.4.2 Carrier Temperature Based Evaluation
    • 6.4.3 Results and Discussion
  
  
• 7. Numerical Considerations
  • 7.1 Meshing
  • 7.2 Box Discretization
    • 7.2.1 Derivation
    • 7.2.2 Discretization of Edges
    • 7.2.3 Discretization of the Right Hand Side
    • 7.2.4 Limitations of the Box Discretization Method
  • 7.3 Vectors in Discretized Systems
    • 7.3.1 Discretization Approach by Laux
    • 7.3.2 Box Discretized Vector Quantities
    • 7.3.3 Comparison of the Discretization Schemes
  • 7.4 Numerical Challenges Related to High-Voltage Devices
  • 7.5 Summary
  
  
• 8. Conclusions and Outlook
• A. Derivation of the Impact-Ionization Integral
• Bibliography
• Own Publications
• Curriculum Vitae
• About this document ...