David L. Bergeron

Polyimide Interlevel Insulation Process/Design Limitations

This paper describes a polyimide interlevel metal insulation process. The use of polyimide near high voltage devices can result in anomalous leakage in certain regions at elevated temperatures. The paper summarizes the reliability investigation on discrete devices fabricated with polyimide, as the interlevel material, as well as characterization data which support design criteria permitting the use of polyimide as an interlevel insulation material.

Hot Electron Reliability Effects in Lateral PNP Transistors

A failure mechanism of bipolar lateral PNP transistors in medium voltage integrated circuits has been observed. The failure mechanism is characterized by inversion layer conduction between emitter and collector of the devices resulting from the trapping of hot electrons in the dielectric. A model of the mechanism has been developed which explains the observed temperature and voltage acceleration.