Advances in alloyed silicon power transistors

The requirements for a high-power transistor application are summarized as the ability to handle high current with reasonable gain and high voltage without instability, to operate with low internal dissipation, to remove heat effectively, and to withstand substantial transient surges. It is shown that the latest alloyed silicon power transistors are designed and fabricated by utilizing the physical principles such as conductivity modulation, control of carrier multiplication, wrap-around junction, hard soldering, and other features to fulfill the requirements. These techniques further permit the extension of the intrinsic limits of stresses which are closely related to the reliability of a power device.