Time-resolved measurements of self-heating in SOI and strained-silicon MOSFETs using photon emission microscopy

A simple noninvasive optical technique for characterization of self-heating dynamics in advanced metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors is reported for the first time. The technique uses time-resolved photon emission microscopy to measure the temperature-dependent luminescence of off-state leakage current. It measures the temperature of the device channel, independent of surrounding materials or interconnects. The technique has been used to measure, for the first time, self-heating dynamics in silicon-on-insulator and strained-silicon n-field-effect transistors.