Abstract
Electrostatic discharge (ESD) can be considered as one of the main reliability risks for modern electronic systems which causes failure of semiconductor devices by an over current effect. One of the dominant failure mechanisms during an ESD event is thermal runaway caused by an avalanche breakdown characterized by a negative differential resistance. A current filament is very localized and inhomogeneous and causes damage due to self-heating, gate oxide or junction breakdown. In addition this coupled electro-thermal problem can exhibit a dynamic pattern which is also known as current filament motion. Here, the formation and motion of current filaments is investigated on p+/n−/n+ (PIN) diodes using technology computer-aided design (TCAD) simulations and transmission line pulse (TLP) measurements. Special PIN diodes of different shape and size were fabricated and investigated in detail. Multiple filament formation has been observed in TLP measurements and is discussed by means of TCAD simulations.
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