Physical Limits and Lifetime Limitations of Semiconductor Devices at High Temperatures

In many applications of electronics, a growing demand for devices being capable of operating at increased temperatures is developing. In automotive and aerospace industry, the replacement of mechanical or hydraulic systems by electronics requires harsh environmental conditions. Furthermore, the oil-well business, military, industrial, chemical, and consumer electronics show increasing interest in higher operating temperatures. In this paper, the influence of temperature on semiconductor device characteristics is discussed with regard to physical limits for device operation. Different semiconductor materials are compared with respect to high temperature electronics, and an overview of the state-of-the-art of high-temperature devices is given. With standard silicon technology, high operation temperatures (200°C) can be reached with reduced performance, the use of SiC enables electronic devices for much higher temperatures (600°C). For practical use, device lifetime becomes the limiting factor at increased temperatures, especially chip metallisation systems and packaging technologies are critical factors for device lifetime in most cases. © 1999 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.