Microelectronic reliability/temperature independence (original) (raw)
Related papers
Temperature dependence of microelectronic device failures
Quality and Reliability Engineering International, 1990
Recently, the use and the applicability of reliability prediction models for microelectronic devices using the temperature-dependent Eyring and Arrhenius function, have been criticized. In fact, the temperature dependence of failure mechanisms of microelectronic devices and electronic equipment in general has been questioned. This paper discusses the effect of temperature on microelectronic failure mechanisms at various device failure sites. This paper also presents information on those mechanisms which may be more appropriately modelled by functions dependent on temperature change, the rate of temperature change and spatial temperature gradients.
The influence of temperature on integrated circuit failure mechanisms
Quality and Reliability Engineering, 1992
Temperature is generally considered to be a key parameter in the design of electronic equipment, and cautions concerning temperature and its relationship to reliability are widely documented. While some studies suggest that temperature is the most critical stress influence on microelectronic device failures, the actual failure mechanisms have generally not been quantified in terms of whether a steady state temperature, temperature change, rate of temperature change, or spatial temperature gradient induced failure. In this paper, the influence of temperature on major integrated circuit failure mechanisms is discussed, with emphasis placed on those failure mechanisms which occur in the temperature range of -55°C to 125°C. This paper shows that no simple expression can adequately describe temperature as a failure accelerator for all integrated circuit failure mechanisms. In fact, a generic statement that can be attributed to temperature is lacking. This suggests that a much deeper level of insight into temperature dependencies is necessary to achieve reliable equipment and avoid unnecessary thermal design complexities. Thermal management in electronic equipment can involve additional costs and system complexities that can be of consequential importance, and temperature control should not be routinely employed without close study and justification.
Microelectronics Journal, 2003
A panel was organized at the Therminic 2002 workshop to address the question posed in the title of this summary paper. Brief presentations were made by the six panelists, followed by an open discussion among Workshop participants. The focus of the panel was on reliability, not performance, and on systems, not parts. While the panel recognized the availability of various specialized analytical tools at a handful of leading research institutions and with expert individuals, it was felt that the industry at large is still transitioning from the use of simple thermal design rules to a more detailed physics based methodology. The current state-of-the-art of thermal metrology was outlined. An overview of the temperature-reliability relationships at the component and system levels was provided. Some of the emerging thermal challenges associated with the evolution of three-dimensional on-chip interconnect architectures were identified. The role of uncertainty analysis in predictions was emphasized. A primary conclusion was to focus on the prediction of thermally influenced risks in current and future products, based on a sound physics based approach.
The Importance of Temporal and Spatial Temperature Gradients in IC Reliability Analysis
2012
Existing IC reliability models assume a uniform, typically worst-case, operating temperature, but temporal and spatial temperature variations affect expected device lifetime. This paper presents a model that accounts for temperature gradients, dramatically improving interconnect and gate-oxide lifetime prediction accuracy. By modeling expected lifetime as a resource that is consumed over time at a temperature-dependent rate, substantial design margin can be reclaimed and/or less expensive cooling systems may be used. This report is superseded by TR CS-2004-08.
Reliability studies of application specific integrated circuits operated at cryogenic temperature
Review of Progress in Quantitative Nondestructive Evaluation, 2019
Cold electronics has become a key technology in many areas of science and technology including space exploration programs and particle physics. A major experiment with a very large number of analog and digital electronics signal processing channels to be operated at cryogenic temperatures is the next generation neutrino experiment, the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE). The DUNE detector uses liquid Argon at 87K as a target material for neutrinos. The DUNE electronics [1] consists of custom-designed ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuits) chips based on low power 180 nm-CMOS technology. The main risk for this technology is that the electronics components will be immersed in liquid argon for many years (20-30 years) without access. Reliability issues of ASICs may arise from thermal stress, packaging and manufacturing related defects: if undetected those could lead to long-term reliability and performance problems. The scope of this paper is to explore non-destructive evaluation techniques for their potential use in a comprehensive quality control process for during prototyping, testing and commissioning of the DUNE cold electronics system.
Improved Thermal Management with Reliability Banking
IEEE Micro, 2005
The advance of technology scaling (along with resulting increases in power density) has made thermal-related reliability a major concern in modern IC design. For example, in the deep-submicron region, experts widely regard electromigration (a temperature-enhanced aging process in metal interconnects caused by the exchange of momentum between electrons and atoms) as a dominant failure mechanism. Designers must therefore rely on temperature-dependent reliability models to derive the expected lifetime of their circuits, increasing design margins (for example, wire width) as necessary to meet requirements. Traditionally, designers use a worst-case temperature to evaluate system reliability; excessive design margins are often the result.
Controlling the reliability performance of a thermoelectric cooler under variable heat load, 2023
The work is devoted to substantiation of possibility of reduction of failure rate of thermal mode support system when operating with variable load by control of reliability indicators of thermoelectric cooler. A mathematical model for evaluating the effect of variable thermal load on reliability indicators of a single-cascade thermoelectric cooler at a given temperature level of cooling, medium temperature, geometry of thermocouple branches for various current modes of operation is considered. The relationship between the cooler steady-state operation time and mass and heat capacity of the structure, relative operating current and temperature difference is presented. The results of thermal load relation with operating current, refrigerating factor, time to steady-state mode, energy input, heat dissipation capacity of the radiator, and relative failure rate are presented. Calculations have been made at a given cooling temperature level, medium temperature, temperature differential, and thermocouple branch geometry for various characteristic current operating modes. It is shown that with decreasing thermal load at a given design of thermoelectric cooler, the value of operating current decreases, thus increasing the probability of no-failure operation. The obtained relationship of thermal load with operating current and relative failure rate serves as primary information for design of thermoelectric system for providing thermal modes of thermally loaded elements with variable thermal load. Using the rate of change of temperature difference between the thermally loaded element and the cold electrode of the cooler as a control feature, it is possible to reduce the failure rate when the thermal load decreases, which contributes to increasing the average probability of no-failure operation.
Reliability studies of electronic components for the operation at cryogenic temperature
arXiv (Cornell University), 2019
Cold electronics is a key technology in many areas of science and technology including space exploration programs and particle physics. A major experiment with a very large number of analog and digital electronics signal processing channels to be operated at cryogenic temperatures is the next-generation neutrino experiment, the Deep Underground Neutrino Experiment (DUNE). The DUNE detector uses liquid Argon at 87K as a target material for neutrinos, and as a medium to track charged particles resulting from interactions in the detector volume. The DUNE electronics [1] consists of custom-designed ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuits) chips based on low power 180 nm-CMOS technology. The main risk for this technology is that the electronics components will be immersed in liquid argon for many years (20-30 years) without access. Reliability issues of ASICs may arise from thermal stress, packaging, and manufacturing-related defects: if undetected those could lead to long-term reliability and performance problems. The scope of this paper is to explore non-destructive evaluation techniques for their potential use in a comprehensive quality control process during prototyping, testing and commissioning of the DUNE cold electronics system. Specifically, we have used the Scanning Acoustic Microscopy and X-ray tomography to study permanent structural changes in the ASIC chips associated with thermal cycling between the room and cryogenic temperatures.
A methodology for reliability prediction: Thermal and RF MEMS case of studies
2011 IEEE SENSORS Proceedings, 2011
Microsystemsj asj attractivej asj theyj arej inj termsj ofj multi-functionalityj mustj alsoj bej ablej toj performj theirj missionj profilejandjtojhavejajpredictivejreliability.jHowever,jitjappearsj thatj thej complexityj ofj microsystems,j theirj multi-disciplinarity,j thej heterogeneityj ofj materialsj andj interfacesj withj thej externalj environmentj arej newj unknownsj inj assessingj theirj reliability.j Thej objectivej ofj thisj workj isj toj proposej aj methodologyj toj predictj lifetimej STimej Toj Failure:j ofj microsystems.j Thej approachj thatj wej exploredj isj basedj onj thej intensivej usej ofj modelingj andj simulation,j assumingj realj operatingj andj environmentalj conditions.j Thej achievementj ofj ourj objectivej consistsj toj combinej thej functionalj andj failurej Sdrift:j modelsj usingjthejVHDL-AMSjlanguagejinjorderjtojdeterminejthejTTF.j Toj supportj ourj work,j wej appliedj thisj approachj forj predictingj thej reliabilityj ofj twoj typesj ofj Microsystems:j Electro-thermalj micro-actuatorsjandjcapacitivejRFjMEMSjswitches.j II