The Influence of Electronic Excitation on the Performance and Reliability of Semiconductor Devices.

The operation of a semiconductor device depends on the controlled movement of charge in response to externally applied potentials. For submicron-dimensioned structures, performance is degraded by defect-related noise sources due to lower operating voltages and by microplasma ignition due to higher electric fields. The primary reliability limitation results from the stimulation of atomic motion by the transfer of electronic energy into vibrational energy following a nonradiative e-h recombination event. The fundamental understanding of these processes and the degradation pathology of semiconductor lasers and avalanche devices are reviewed with examples.