C-V Measurement Tips, Tricks, and Traps

Capacitance-voltage (C-V) testing has long been used to determine a variety of semiconductor parameters on many different devices and structures. Product and yield enhancement engineers use them in optimizing processes and device performance; reliability engineers employ them in qualifying material suppliers, monitoring process parameters, and analyzing failure mechanisms. This white paper offers an overview on selecting the most appropriate instrumentation for a particular application, as well as some of the C-V tests typically performed and their parameter extraction limits. It also includes techniques for connecting to a probe station and how to correct to the probe tips. Finally, it addresses identifying and correcting typical C-V errors.