Semiconductor inspection apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9778311-B2
Application number	US-201514807335-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 23, 2015
Priority date	Sep 5, 2014
Publication date	Oct 3, 2017
Grant date	Oct 3, 2017

Abstract

The semiconductor inspection apparatus according to an embodiment includes a first detecting unit capable of being electrically connected to a source electrode of a field effect transistor to be evaluated, the first detecting unit used for detecting voltage, a first diode including a first anode electrode and a first cathode electrode, the first cathode electrode capable of being electrically connected to a drain electrode of the field effect transistor, a second detecting unit electrically connected to the first anode electrode, the second detecting unit used for detecting voltage, a first resistance element of which a first end is electrically connected to the first anode electrode, and a first electric power source electrically connected to a second end of the first resistance element.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A semiconductor inspection apparatus comprising:
a first detecting unit capable of being electrically connected to a source electrode of a field effect transistor to be evaluated, the first detecting unit used for detecting voltage;
a first diode including a first anode electrode and a first cathode electrode, the first cathode electrode capable of being electrically connected to a drain electrode of the field effect transistor;
a second detecting unit electrically connected to the first anode electrode, the second detecting unit used for detecting voltage;
a first resistance element of which a first end is electrically connected to the first anode electrode; and
a first electric power source electrically connected to a second end of the first resistance element.

2. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a breakdown voltage of the first diode is higher than a drain voltage to be applied to the drain electrode.

3. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein a relationship of R 1 ≧10V 1 /Id is satisfied, where R 1 is a resistance value of the first resistance element, V 1 is a voltage of the first electric power source and Id is a drain current of the field effect transistor.

4. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a second diode including a second anode electrode and a second cathode electrode, the second anode electrode electrically connected to the first detecting unit, the second cathode electrode electrically connected to the second detecting unit.

5. The apparatus according to claim 4 , wherein the second diode is a Zener diode.

6. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a second resistance element of which a first end is capable of being electrically connected to the drain electrode; and
a second electric power source electrically connected to a second end of the second resistance element, the second electric power source applying a voltage higher than a voltage of the first electric power source.

7. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first diode is a fast recovery diode.

8. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the first diode is a Schottky barrier diode including SiC.

9. The apparatus according to claim 4 , further comprising:
a first capacitor electrically connected in parallel with the first diode; and
a second capacitor electrically connected in parallel with the second diode.

10. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a gate drive circuit capable of being electrically connected to a gate electrode of the field effect transistor.

11. The apparatus according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a measuring instrument electrically connected to the first detecting unit and the second detecting unit, the measuring instrument measuring a voltage between the first detecting unit and the second detecting unit.

12. The apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the field effect transistor is an HEMT of a GaN based semiconductor.

Assignees

• Toshiba Kk

Inventors

• Ikeda Kentaro

Classifications

• G01R31/2621 Primary

  for testing field effect transistors, i.e. FET's · CPC title

• H01L29/7787

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H01L29/2003

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H10D62/8503

  Nitride Group III-V materials, e.g. AlN or GaN · CPC title

• H10D30/4755

  having wide bandgap charge-carrier supplying layers, e.g. modulation doped HEMTs such as n-AlGaAs/GaAs HEMTs · CPC title