Investigation of factors determining charged device model electrostatic discharge reliability of integrated circuits

Electrostatic discharge (ESD) protection is required at the high-speed input/output (IO) interfaces of integrated circuits (ICs) to ensure reliability, but it adds loading capacitance that hinders performance; effective ESD designs must balance that tradeoff. A critical aspect of effective ESD design is a comprehensive understanding of the voltage and current waveforms inside an IC during an ESD event and the voltage or current level at which the devices inside the circuit will be damaged. This dissertation presents two measurement methodologies that advance our knowledge of those factors, which in turn, enhance designers’ ability to develop optimal ESD protection. The first methodology is an on chip pulse generator which can apply clean, square pulses with pulse width down to 100 ps to an integrated victim device. The on chip pulse generator is used to characterize gate dielectric breakdown on the sub ns timescale. The second methodology is an on chip probe that can read out the on chip voltage waveforms during an ESD test in real time. The probe is used to capture transient voltage waveforms at internal nodes of high speed IO circuits located in a packaged IC, providing valuable insights into their ESD reliability.

Name thesis:degree_name

Ph.D.

Level thesis:degree_level

Dissertation

Discipline thesis:degree_discipline

Electrical & Computer Engr

Grantor

University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign

Year dc:date

2025

Author dc:creator

• Drallmeier, Matthew

Contributors dc:contributor

• Rosenbaum, Elyse
• Schutt-Aine, Jose E
• Bernhard, Jennifer T
• Chen, Xu

• Electrostatic Discharge (esd)
• Charged Device Model (cdm)
• Integrated Circuit Reliability
• Gate Oxide Breakdown

Statement dc:rights

• Copyright 2025 Matthew Drallmeier

Language dc:language

en, eng

Handle dc:identifier

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/130032

OAI record oai:identifier

https://www.ideals.illinois.edu/oai-pmh?verb=GetRecord&metadataPrefix=etdms&identifier=oai%3Awww.ideals.illinois.edu%3A2142%2F130032