ON Semiconductor (Belgium)

Different methods have been described to help optimizing sagittal cup orientation in total hip arthroplasty (THA) based on individual spinopelvic characteristics; including hip-spine-classification and Combined-Sagittal-Index (CSI). This study aimed to (1) assess how often CSI- and hip-spine-classification targets were achieved post-THA, without navigation or robotics, (2) compare anteversion/inclination between cups in-/outside optimal CSI-zone, and (3) determine association with outcome comparing different methods for cup orientation, including CSI, hip-spine-classification and conventional coronal cup orientation. This is a multicenter, prospective, case-cohort study of 435 primary THA for osteoarthritis (53% females; age:65±12years-old) (58% lateral-, 29% anterior-, 13% posterior-approach). No robotics or dual-mobility were used. Patients underwent pre- and post-operative standing & deep-seated spinopelvic radiographs to measure parameters including Pelvic Incidence (PI), Lumbar Lordosis (LL), Pelvic-Femoral-Angle (PFA) and Anteinclination (AI). CSIstanding was calculated as the sum of PFAstanding and AIstanding. Unbalanced spine was defined as PI-LL≥10°, stiffness as ∆LL < 2 0°. Optimal cup orientation was based on CSI-targets: 205–245° for balanced spine (n=327), or 215–235° for unbalanced spine (n=108), hip-spine-classification targets (±5°), and conventional inclination/anteversion of 40/20°±10°. Patient-reported outcome was measured using Oxford Hip Score (OHS). Optimal CSI-targets were achieved in 60% (n=261/435), whilst 44% had cup position within hip-spine-classification targets (n=125/284). Anteversion was higher among cups within optimal CSI-zone [26° (range:2°–48°) vs. 22° (range:3°–47°); p < 0 .001]. Dislocation rate was lower (0.4% vs. 1.7%; p=0.178), and post-operative OHS was better among those with optimal CSI [42pts (range:4–48) vs. 40pts (range:8–48); p=0.003] or within hip-spine-classification targets (p=0.028), but not according to conventional orientation (p=0.384). Awareness of adverse spinopelvic characteristics and using sagittal characteristics (especially CSI) can help surgeons to achieve optimal cup orientation, improving outcome and reducing dislocation risk post-THA, without the need of dual-mobility. Further studies should test whether advanced technology can improve consistency in achieving targets.

Currently, the semiconductor industry requires test escape levels that approach the ppb level for application domains, such as automotive. Such quality levels, however, can only be reached if latent defects are screened out, as they have become the major bottleneck in analog and mixed-signal IC testing. Latent defects can be activated using accelerated aging, but this procedure has several drawbacks. Most notably, activation can move latent defects to the product lifetime that, otherwise, would not even have expressed themselves. Therefore, methods are needed that allow the detection of these defects without using activation. Developing such methods, however, has been hampered by the lack of compact latent defect models that allow simulating circuits affected by this type of defect. This article alleviates this problem by experimentally validating a recently presented compact model for latent defects and establishing the practical range of model values that should be used in simulations. The experiments performed on a 0.35- <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu \text{m}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> technology consist of characterizing transistors containing latent defects that have been artificially introduced by etching pinholes in their gate. The measurement results corroborate that the drain current in transistors with defects increases with the area and depth of the defect, and that this behavior can be accurately modeled using an effective <inline-formula xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink"> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${t}_{ox}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> value.

Abstract This paper explains how the authors determined the cause of a fast-to-rise failure discovered during scan chain testing of an image sensor. The failed device was mounted on a portable card that facilitates transfer between test platforms in an electro-optical probing (EOP) system. Initial fault localization was conducted through backside PEM, but the results were inconclusive. The part was then analyzed on a digital scan chain tester to check for flaws in the daisy chain of shift registers. Through broken scan chain analysis, the potential cause of the problem (a failing flip-flop) was narrowed down to a few chain links and ultimately pinpointed using EOP fault isolation techniques. The failed device was then deprocessed by parallel lapping and analyzed in a SEM, revealing a broken poly gate as the physical cause of failure.

We propose an analytical model to reproduce the non-monotonic instability of the threshold voltage in 4H-SiC MOSFETs submitted to a positive gate stress bias. Experimental analysis of the threshold voltage transients indicates that both electron and hole trappings take place in the gate dielectric or at the dielectric/semiconductor interface, responsible for a VTH increasing–decreasing–increasing pattern. At low/moderate stress fields (&amp;lt;7 MV/cm), the electron trapping kinetics responsible for a positive VTH shift are modeled by a rate equation considering a trapping-inhibition model, which explains the logarithmic degradation kinetics. In the high field regime (&amp;gt;8 MV/cm), we propose that electrons can tunnel through the SiO2, be accelerated by the high field, and generate holes through impact ionization (II) or anode hole injection. These holes are then trapped in the oxide, thus generating a negative VTH shift. This second process has an exponential time-dependency, as found through the analysis of the corresponding rate equations. The time constant of the positive VTH shift is evaluated as a function of stress voltage and temperature. The results indicate that the time constant is strongly dependent on the electric field (that accelerates electrons to generate holes), and not thermally activated, in agreement with theoretical considerations.

A very stable resistor is needed for analog integrated circuits employed in harsh automotive environments. Precision SiCr thin-film resistors have been characterized by DC and pulsed I-V measurements, high-temperature operating life, and high temperature storage stress. Maximum current density for a maximum drift of 0.1% over the product lifetime are determined. Furthermore, SiCr resistors are stressed to failure and the physical failure mechanism is analyzed.