Probe Resistivity Measurements Research Articles

Synthesis and properties of some refractory transition metal diboride thin films

Thin films of ZrB 2 and TiB 2 were prepared by r.f. diode sputtering and successfully recrystallized by rapid annealing methods. The properties of the as-deposited and annealed films, which will be described, were evaluated by four-point probe resistivity measurements, Auger electron spectroscopy, Rutherford back- scattering, X-ray diffractometry and transmission and scanning electron microscopy. The resultant annealed thin film resistivities are shown to approach those of the refractory metal silicides; the materials thus appear to be promising candidates for integrated circuit metallization application.

Effect of HCl and Cl<inf>2</inf>on Pd Inlay Coupons and Pd Connector Contacts

Field exposure studies indicate that a resistive palladium chloride film may grow on Pd coupons when the ambient contains both high relative humidity (RH) and chlorine. This behavior raises a concern about the use of palladium in separable connectors. Most connectors are shielded systems, and the contacts are subject to wipe on mating. Therefore contact resistance probe measurements on coupon surfaces may not be representative of the behavior of connector contacts. A study on a moderately shielded connector system was initiated to compare the effects of chlorine and HCl vapors in high relative humidities on connectors with the effects on coupon surfaces. A number of material combinations including Pd against Pd, Pd against gold, and 60Pd40Ag against gold were tested in the study. It is shown that the high contact resistance values measured on the coupons are not representative of the contact resistance changes detected on connector contacts subjected to an accelerated aging treatment in the mated condition. The changes in contact resistance are much lower on connector contacts than on coupons. Palladium and 60Pd40Ag against gold are much superior in performance to Pd against Pd when exposed to Cl <inf xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">2</inf> environments. Exposure of mated connector contacts to HCl at high relative humidity results in little degradation of contact resistance compared to chlorine exposure.

Structural and Electrical Properties of Gas immersion Laser Doped Layers in Crystalline Silicon

ABSTRACT4 He backscattering and channeling and 4-point probe resistivity measurements are used to characterize the doping of 〈100〉 Si directly from the gas phase by using a laser induced melt/recrystallization process. Impurity concentrations from 3×1019 to 5×1020 cm−3 and sheet resistivities as low as 20 Ω/╒ are obtained by variation of the laser energy density or number of passes. Diodes fabricated by this process exhibit near ideal I-V characteristics with sharp reverse breakdowns determined by junction edge effects. Annealing at 850° C further reduces the generation-recombination centers to values that result in an ideality factor of 1.0.

Limitations on the range of measurements of sheet resistivity of shallow diffused layers for profiling by the four-point-probe technique

It is found that the standard four-point probe resistivity measurement and stripping technique used for measuring impurity profile in diffused semiconductor layers can provide reliable information only if certain limitations are carefully observed. To get the actual surface concentration for profiling, it has been found necessary to predetermine the appropriate range of current and voltage. Approximate ranges for studying phosphorus and boron in silicon are reported in this paper. The phosphorus profile obtained by this technique by successive measurement of sheet resistivity after anodic oxidation and stripping distinctly shows a kink and tail structure obtained without annealing.

Scanning Eectron Beam Annealing of Oxygen Donors in Czochralski Silicon

ABSTRACTThe destruction of the oxygen donor complex in Czochralski silicon has been studied using scanning electron beam annealing in the range 550°C to 1050° C for 5s to 1000s. A two stage annealing schedule ensured a rapid rise to the target temperature and overscanning provided a uniform, non-distorting heating field. Four point probe and spreading resistance measurements showed a very rapid donor destruction rate above 650° C; between 550° C and 650°C the lower donor destruction rate allowed a study of the annealing behaviour.

Influence of Some Geometric Factors on Contact Resistance Probe Measurements

The effect of variations in the geometry and preparation of gold probe tips for contact resistance measurements has been evaluated. Tips prepared by melting and by machining and possessing shapes ranging from a point to hemispheres with radii from 0.9 mm to 3.2 mm were used. The contact resistance values are nearly independent of probe geometry on gold and on very lightly filmed (<5 to 10 A) copper targets. On more heavily filmed copper and nickel targets, the contact resistance varies as much as 2½ orders of magnitude at a fixed contact force. The only known variable is the apparent contact area of the various tips, determined by examination in a scanning electron microscope (SEM) after use. It appears that contact pressure predicts contact resistance more reliably than does contact force.

Anomalies of antimony distribution within thin N/N + epitaxial layers of silicon

This paper deals with the distribution of antimony within thin silicon epitaxial layers obtained by pyrolysis of monosilane without any intentionally added dopants. The results of spreading resistance probe measurements revealed some anomalies in the antimony concentration profile within the layers. The nature of these anomalies is discussed.

Resistivity measurement of thin doped semiconductor layers by means of four point-contacts arbitrarily spaced on a circumference of arbitrary radius

The resistivity of a thin doped semiconductor layer or wafer measured in the vicinity of four point contacts placed on the semiconductor surface is shown to be independent of the relative distance between the contacts, provided the contacts are located on a circumference, and the distance to the boundary of the surface will not fall short of the greatest actual spacing between contacts. This method combines the advantage of the four probe resistivity measurement originally proposed by Valdés, that is the determination of ρ in a restricted layer region, with the advantage of arbitrary spacing of the probes, which characterizes van der Pauw's method. Experiments are in agreement with results obtained by the measuring methods of Valdés and van der Pauw.

Practical Experiences with Linear Polarization Measurements

Abstract The linear polarization technique in principle is a convenient and rapid way for determining corrosion rates. In practice, one finds that it is often applied under conditions alien to the assumptions on the basis of which it was derived. This paper will present a series of comparative observations between linear polarization, resistance probe, and weight loss measurements in different systems. The systems studied were: (1) Hydrochloric acid containing acetylenic inhibitors, (2) a two phase system containing hydrocarbon and water saturated with H2S, and (3) tap water containing various inhibitors. An equation will be derived showing the effect of ohmic resistance due to corrosion product buildup. The effect of polarization on the properties of a corrosion product layer will be discussed qualitatively.

A Computer Program for Four Probe Resistivity Measurements in a Horizontally Layered Earth

A computer code to plot the response of a dipole-dipole resistivity array over a many-layered earth is described.

Spreading Resistance Measurements on N‐Type Silicon Using Mercury Probes

With an instrument consisting of four mercury probes spreading resistance has been measured on n‐type silicon bulk samples and thin layers without leaving any damage. With bulk samples the spreading resistance measured in a three‐probe arrangement is found to be proportional to the resistivity without any indication of resistivity dependence of the proportionality constant between 10−3 and 10 ohm‐cm. From repeated measurements it is concluded that the precision depends on the mechanical finish of the contact edge and can be as good as 3%. Upon comparison with the resistivity as measured with a conventional four‐point probe, the mercury probe spreading resistance is found to be accurate within that error. The resistivity measured represents the average over about 1 mm3, so that the resolving power of this instrument is intermediate between the resolving powers of conventional four‐point and spreading resistance probes.With thin layers a theory is used, in which the Hg‐Si contact resistance is incorporated which is found to be almost proportional to the resistivity over the same four decades. It turns out to be small compared to the bulk spreading resistance, thus confirming the experiments on bulk material. Considering the cylinder resistance of an epitaxial n on n+ layer as an extra contribution to the contact resistance, with a mercury four‐point probe and spreading resistance measurement the product can be found.

Analyses of Some Potential Problems in Cylindrical Coordinates in Connection with Four-Point Probe Technique

By the use of Green's function method, the expressions for the correction devisors are presented for the four point probe resistivity measurement of the semiconductor plate bounded vertically by a cylindrical surface under various boundary conditions. The cases of both linear and square probes are discussed. Some special cases are compared with the results already reported. In terms of numerical analysis, the two kinds of problems treated here are typical examples which are to be analyzed by use of the expressions of the r- and ϕ-forms, respectively.

Four point probe Hall effect and resistivity measurements upon semiconductors

A solution is presented for the problem of calculating correction factors for four point probe Hall effect and resistivity measurements on rectangular semiconductor specimens based on the Corbino current image technique. In addition, a flexible numerical approach is used to verify the results obtained. This numerical approach allows four point probe measurements to be made upon specimens of both regular and arbitrary geometries.

Correction Devisors for the Four-Point Probe Resistivity Measurement on Parallelepiped Semiconductors

By use of the Green's function method, the expressions of the correction devisors for the equally spaced and linearly arrayed four-point probes on the centerline of a parallelepiped semiconductor are derived under the various boundary conditions. The numerical results of correction devisors are given in figures.

Correlation of Near-Surface Sedimentary Strata by Electric Logging: ABSTRACT

Instruments and techniques to measure the electrical resistivity of unconsolidated marine sediments have been developed at Texas A&M University. Electrical logging can be performed in situ and upon extruded cores. The in-situ device using several electrodes makes point resistivity measurements while stationary within the bottom sediments and is thus independent of ship's motion. A minimum number of cores is required to establish the stratigraphy and to calibrate the probe resistivity measurements. The shipboard or laboratory logging system can be used to take continuous readings along a core and also can be used to measure the resistivity of discrete sample units. The comparison of electrical resistivities of sediments, in particular the formation resistivity factor, with the geotechnical properties of the sediments reveals correlations which indicate that some of these geotechnical properties may be predicted from future resistivity measurements. A series of rapid in-situ measurements then can be made, greatly reducing the number of cores necessary to complete the survey. End_of_Article - Last_Page 605------------

The evaluation of geometrical effects in four point probe measurements

An accurate numerical approach is presented for the evaluation of geometrical effects in four point probe resistivity measurements upon semiconductors. The accuracy of the approach is illustrated by comparing results obtained with correction factors tabulated for probe measurements upon circular and rectangular geometries. Correction factors are presented for measurements with a square probe array upon rectangular specimens. The effect of increasing thickness for specimens of bounded geometry is also investigated. The method allows four point probe measurements to be made not only with an arbitrary probe configuration but also upon thin specimens of an arbitrary geometry.

Correction Devisors for the Four-Point Probe Resistivity Measurement on Cylindrical Semiconductors (II)

The useful and simple expressions of the correction devisors for the equally spaced and linearly arrayed four-point probes on the center line of a semi-circular cylinder are derived under the various boundary conditions by means of Green's function. The correction devisors are given as the function of the ratio of the radius of the cylinder to the probe spacing with the parameter of the edge effect. Numerical results are shown in figure and are tabulated. The Green's function method which heretofore has not been used to analyze fourpoint probe problems is a useful one.

Effect of the Surface Quality on the Spreading Resistance Probe Measurements

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Correction Devisors for the Four-Point Probe Resistivity Measurement on Cylindrical Semiconductors

Using the Neumann function, this paper gives the expressions of the correction devisors for the equally spaced and linearly arrayed four-point probes on the same generating line of a circular cylinder of infinite length. Also for the cylinder of semi-infinite and finite length, the effects of the non-conducting and conducting edges are considered. The correction devisors are given as the function of the ratio of the radius of the cylinder to the probe spacing with the parameter of the edge effect. Several special cases obtained using our idea coincide with other results already calculated by the method of images hitherto used.

Correction Factors for a Two‐Point Probe Resistivity Measurement of Cylindrical Crystals

not Available.