REPORT ON INDUSTRY ATTACHMENT WITH CHARTERED SEMICONDUCTOR MANUFACTURING LTD

Abstract

With some basic understanding about Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) events, and ESD protection mechanism and protection devices, the author carried out two projects through out the Industrial Attachment period. ESD tests ensure that electrical components and systems can survive the ESD stresses that they will encounter. Active components such as integrated circuits and transistors are tested using the Human Body Model (HBM) and the Charged Device Model (CDM) to ensure they can be handled without damage during manufacture in a controlled ESD environment. However, because of the constantly changing current, it makes the measurement become very difficult and extracted information very limited. The first project introduced Transmission Line Pulse (TLP) as a innovative way to study integrated circuit technologies and circuit behavior in the current and time domain of ESD events to solve the problems. The second project is a review of the latchup phenomena in past and present CMOS technologies. It will briefly describe the causes, mechanisms, and consequences of latch-up and discuss available prevention methods. Technology scaling implications are also discussed in the context of latchup holding voltage/current. In addition, the effect of so-called ESD - implant were studies and clarified for the improvement of device ESD robustness. Data is tested in support of theories mentioned above.