Automated Parametric Tests for Novel Semiconductor Materials and Devices

Abstract

A summer internship of 2005 provided valuable hands-on experience by (1) studying novel semiconductor devices and materials using capacitance versus voltage (C-V) and current versus voltage (I-V) measurements, (2) analyzing C-V and I-V data for these materials and devices, (3) modeling new semiconductor materials and devices based on metal oxide semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFET), and (4) performing resistivity measurements on materials using four-point probes for pre-radiation testing. This paper describes experiences gained and skills developed during an undergraduate summer internship. The C-V and I-V measurements help understand the electrical characteristics of the electrical devices by plotting and analyzing the overall shape and values of the C-V and I-V curves. The engineering technology curriculum includes courses in basic electronic devices and computer applications which introduce the student to the characteristics of basic electrical devices. This prepares engineering technology students to design the test set-up and perform experiments using up-to-date software and test equipment and apply this to novel devices. The experimental set-up for C-V measurements included the Model-82 DOS Simultaneous C-V Software, Keithley Instruments: KI 230 voltage source, KI 590 C-V analyzer, and KI 595 quasi-static C-V meter. The device-under-test (DUT) samples are placed in a probing station that includes a stereo microscope, a light shielded enclosure with hot and cold chuck. The experimental set-up for I-V measurements included the Interactive Characterization Software (ICS), a KI 2361 trigger controller, and KI 236 source measure unit (SMU). The test equipments were interconnected using IEEE 488 bus for data acquisition. The materials tested were ferroelectric ceramic, integrated ferroelectric (PNZT) and silicon (Si) structures, components-off-the-shelf (cots), novel Ilmenite-hematite ceramic (IHC) samples, and pseudobrookite (PsB) single crystals. Ferroelectric, wide band gap pseudobrookite, Fe2TiO5, single crystals and IHC ceramic magnetic-semiconductor samples were provided by the Laboratory for Electronic Materials and Devices at the University of Alabama - Tuscaloosa. This research was funded by a grant from NASA as part of the Center for Applied Radiation Research (CARR) at Prairie View A&M University.