A variable temperature test station for extraction of semiconductor device modeling parameters

The authors describe the equipment and software necessary to integrate a variable-temperature setup and an automated data-collection system to extract semiconductor device modeling parameters over a wide temperature range. A cryogenic test station with a temperature range of 1.8-300 K is used for semiconductor device evaluation, with the test structure mounted in an 8-pin, TO-99-style header. The system consists of a custom low-temperature apparatus and state-of-the-art electrical instrumentation under control of a minicomputer. An electromagnet suitable for Hall studies with a custom-designed 1.1-kW programmable power supply for automated control of the magnetic field completes the system. The cryogenic test station has been used to study the characteristics of n-channel Hall-effect MOSFETs from 1.8 K to room temperature