ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the theoretical basis of thermal activation, which touches much of transistor physics, circuit response, device and packaging reliability. It discusses the fundamental origins of “thermal activation,” sometimes referred to as “Arrhenius behavior.” The Arrhenius equation is a well-known formula for the temperature dependence of the reaction rate constant, and therefore, the rate of a chemical reaction. Temperature most strongly enters the physical equations governing transistor operation via the carrier distribution functions. The temperature- and injection-dependent data for minority electron SRH lifetimes can be used to develop calibrated theoretical models that can then be inserted into commercial TCAD software. An accurate model for the incomplete ionization of dopants is necessary not only to meaningfully link experimental resistivity data to theoretical mobility values, but also in its own right a critical component of accurate low-temperature device models.
