Electrical and Computer Engineering ETDs

Publication Date

7-10-1970

Abstract

A family of silicon devices, the micro-Hall devices, are described. These include the diffused, diffused-epitaxial, isolation-diffused-epitaxial, mesa-epitaxial, and silicon-on­sapphire isolation-diffused structures. The design and fab­rication of these devices are presented in complete detail.

The theory of the Hall effect and its applications to the theory of fast neutron displacement damage to silicon is presented. A quantitative model of radiation damage in the form of spherical intrinsic voids representing the damage clusters is described.

Three applications of the isolation-diffused-epitaxial silicon micro-Hall device are discussed in the following paragraphs.

The first of these, the evaluation of epitaxial silicon, has three features which are different from the customary four-point probe technique. The fabrication of the micro-Hall devices requires all of the processes in the manufacture of junction-isolated integrated circuits. These high-temperature processes cause changes in the electrical properties of the material. Using the micro-Hall device method permits determination of the properties of the material after processing rather than before. By evaluating an entire wafer with micro-Hall devices, it is possible to determine the variations of material properties as a function of position across the wafer. Including the micro-Hall device pattern as a test pattern on an integrated circuit mask set permits evaluation of the actual material used in an integrated circuit wafer. Three wafers, one of which is silicon-on-sapphire, were evaluated by the micro-Hall device method and compared to four-point probe measurements of the same material.

The same devices used for epitaxial evaluation were ex­posed to fast neutron bombardment in the Sandia Annular Core Pulse Reactor, and re-evaluated to determine the effects of room temperature stable displacement damage on the electrical properties of the material. These effects were compared to the results of similar experiments conducted on bulk silicon material with the same initial resistivity. The damage effects to the epitaxial material were found to be similar to those previously reported in bulk material.

The characteristics of the silicon micro-Hall device as magnetic sensor are presented. This application requires a careful compensation for voltages due to the misalignment of the measuring arms.

Document Type

Dissertation

Language

English

Degree Name

Electrical Engineering

Level of Degree

Doctoral

Department Name

Electrical and Computer Engineering

First Committee Member (Chair)

Harold Dean Southward

Second Committee Member

Wayne Willis Grannemann

Third Committee Member

Lewellyn Boatwright Jr

Fourth Committee Member

William Jackson Byatt

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