Characterization and modeling of transient device behavior under CDM ESD stress

Abstract

Very-fast high-current pulses that occur during charged device model (CDM) ESD events lead to transient voltage overshoots in forward- and reverse-biased pn-junctions, called forward recovery and dynamic reverse overshoot. To improve the device modeling for CDM circuit simulation of integrated circuits, these effects should be fully understood and should be implemented in the device models. In this paper the effects are studied under the CDM relevant operating conditions by experimental characterization and device simulation. Technological parameters have been varied to assess the presence of the effects in different technologies, such as sub-micron CMOS technologies and smart power technologies. A simple compact model extension to include the forward recovery effect in diode models is presented. A novel parameter extraction method that uses the transient TDR signals of the very-fast TLP method is introduced. Using this extraction method we can parameterize high-current device models in the nanosecond time scale. The parameter extraction method is demonstrated by applying it to the modeling of the forward recovery effect.