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Research Profile

Drs. Celik-Butler and Kim – Improving Microelectronic Devices

Two College of Engineering researchers are developing ways to improve the performance of microelectronic devices, thanks to major grants from the Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC), the world’s leading technology research consortium.

Professor of Electrical Engineering Zeynep Celik-Butler, director of the Nanotechnology Research and Teaching Facility, is collaborating with SRC members Freescale Semiconductors and Texas Instruments on a two-year, $160,884 project to investigate the degradation of medium-to-high voltage transistors. These kinds of transistors are generally used in automotive and other applications where the electronic devices are subjected to a harsh environment such as high temperatures.

“Transistors commonly used in communication and computing applications operate at a low voltage,” said Dr. Celik-Butler. “And they’re usually not exposed to large temperature ranges, like those you might expect to find in an engine compartment. Today’s automobiles have a huge number of computer-controlled operations, and drivers surely don’t want failures.”

Dr. Celik-Butler and her team will examine the mechanisms affecting product degradation and develop non-destructive methods to estimate the remaining life of the component. “What we expect to accomplish are ways to improve the reliability of a transistor and also provide a prognosis of its possible failure,” she continued. “That way, parts of a system can be replaced before they fail.” The health assessment and life-time prediction methodologies developed by Dr. Celik-Butler and her team will be applicable to all power MOS transistors.

Professor of Materials Science and Engineering Choong-Un Kim is in the middle of a three-year, $245,000 grant to develop ways to reduce intra-device interference. He is collaborating with SRC members including Intel, Texas Instruments and Global Foundries, formerly a unit of Advanced Micro Devices. Dr. Kim is in his eighth year of conducting research for the SRC.

One of the key technological challenges of the future microelectronics is the reduction of the speed delay caused by the signal interference among components as microelectronic devices get smaller and smaller (currently in the 32-nanometer range). One way to avoid interference is by not using typical component materials. Porous dielectrics that are used to insulate metal interconnects are one of the new materials under vigorous development. Since these materials are completely new, many aspects are unknown, especially in relation to their impact on reliability. In his research, Dr. Kim is investigating methods to characterize and evaluate the stability of these materials and assist the developmental efforts by the semiconductor industry.

“I’ve already submitted several characterization techniques that my collaborators have found useful,” said Dr. Kim. “By identifying potential failure problems, we can develop practical solutions.”