Measurement of the effective recombination velocity of semiconductor high-low transitions

A new method for the measurement of the effective recombination velocity (ERV) of high-low transitions is proposed. The method is based upon a test structure that is easily incorporated in the standard process of bipolar devices. The ERV is directly obtained out of simple dc measurements without any critical parameter involved. The ERV can be measured over a wide range of injection levels and its two main components, namely the one due to the high-doped layer and the one due to the retarding region of the transition, can be easily separated from each other.