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Role of filamentation in the initiation of surface-related breakdown in silicon
Abstract
Electrical breakdown occurring at the surface of silicon has been an impediment to the development of high field electronic and optical devices. Although the dielectric breakdown field of silicon has been estimated to be on the order of 150 kV/cm, most devices will not withstand such high fields due to the failure at the surface. Until now, the fundamental processes leading to the breakdown were not understood. Previous research suggested that current filamentation inside the semiconductor plays a role in initiating breakdown. An optical technique based on Schlieren photography was developed to investigate such filamentary currents in long silicon devices. Many photographs showing intricate filamentary structures during the early stages of breakdown were obtained using the technique. Based on the image data, a model of the breakdown is introduced which describes the filaments to be channels of high carrier density, formed by a process of ionization similar to that associated with streamers in gaseous breakdown, and influenced by the high-field saturation of the carrier velocity. A three dimensional, finite-difference simulation based on this model was developed to study the interaction of such filaments with the surface and each other. The results of the simulation were helpful in understanding some of the surprising behavior of the filaments seen in the photographs.
Subject Area
Electrical engineering
Recommended Citation
Hankla, Brian James, "Role of filamentation in the initiation of surface-related breakdown in silicon" (1996). ETD collection for University of Nebraska-Lincoln. AAI9712510.
https://digitalcommons.unl.edu/dissertations/AAI9712510