Trigger and Self-Latch Mechanisms of n-p-n Bistable Resistor

Trigger and self-latch mechanisms in n-p-n bistable resistor (biristor) were investigated. A two terminal vertical n-p-n biristor with floating p-type base was fabricated on a bulk silicon wafer. The temperature and current compliance effects on the current-voltage characteristics were analyzed to understand the underlying physical mechanism. The fact that the current compliance is temperature independent suggests that latch-up is triggered by band-to-band tunneling. In contrast, the high temperature and current compliance diminished the latch-down and hysteresis loop, which reveals that impact ionization is responsible for self-latching at bistable regime.