JPL Publication 96-25

GaAs MMIC Reliability Assurance Guideline

forSpace Applications


Sammy Kayali 
Jet Propulsion Laboratory
George Ponchak 
NASA Lewis Research Center
Roland Shaw 
Shason Microwave Corporation
Editors

December 15, 1996
 
National Aeronautics and
Space Administration

Jet Propulsion Laboratory
California Institute of Technology
Pasadena, California
 



The research described in this publication was carried out by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, under a contract with the National Aeronautics and Space Administration.

Reference herein to any specific commercial product, process, or service by trade name, trademark, manufacturer, or otherwise, does not constitute or imply its endorsement by the United States Government or the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology.


 Preface

 This document was conceived in response to comments by various industry representatives lamenting the lack of an industry-accepted method for MMIC qualification.  A low-level effort to address this problem was initiated in the summer of 1992 by individuals at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Lewis Research Center, and NASA Johnson Space Center.  These efforts were combined in July 1993 to form the MMIC Reliability Assurance Working Group, which gained the support of NASA Headquarters, Code Q.

 The original concept was an official government-sponsored MMIC qualification specification describing all the required test and evaluation procedures performed by the manufacturer.  This approach was presented to industry representatives at the first MMIC Qualification Workshop held at NASA Lewis Research Center in Cleveland, Ohio, in September 1993.  At this meeting, various users and suppliers of MMIC devices expressed their strong desire to avoid government specifications and requested a document that would be an educational tool.  The format was envisioned to be a source book of GaAs MMIC reliability and design methodology techniques useful in developing a qualification plan for the production and use of GaAs MMIC in space applications.  The workshop attendees concluded that the title of the document should be GaAs MMIC Reliability Assurance Guideline for Space Applications.  The guide was developed to be a practical application of industry-accepted reliability assurance practices used for the specification, manufacture, qualification, and procurement of GaAs-based MMICs.

 The text contains background material on and discussion of the tests, screens, and evaluations normally conducted on MMIC devices prior to approval for use in high-reliability applications.  The information is focused on the needs of the engineer, the program-level manager, and the purchaser, with the emphasis on the common approaches to GaAs MMIC reliability and qualification methodologies used and accepted in the industry.

 Background information is provided on the materials, design methodology, test techniques, environment effects, common failure mechanisms, and fabrication processes—information needed to structure an effective qualification plan for the specific application required.  Using this information as a common reference point, the user and the manufacturer can discuss trade-offs and determine the value-added tests necessary to realize a cost-effective qualification plan.

 The guide begins with an introduction of GaAs usage and brief summary of MMIC development history.  This is followed by a reliability overview and a summary description of reliability theory.  These chapters give the reader an understanding of the usage of GaAs devices in various applications and provide the background necessary to understand reliability test results and the implication of failure.

 GaAs material properties and common device structures used in MMIC designs are discussed in Chapter 3.  This chapter also provides general descriptions of the common processes and the various general-purpose MMIC functions and circuits.  Chapter 4 provides descriptions of the common failure modes and mechanisms affecting GaAs-based device;  this information can be of great importance in developing characterization and qualification plans.

 Device modeling and MMIC design methodology are discussed in Chapters 5 and 6, respectively.  These chapters provide general information needed to understand the various aspects of MMIC design.  The text also addresses the reliability aspects of MMIC design and provides a generalized design methodology useful to both the user and manufacturer.

 Chapter 7 discusses MMIC testability and provides examples of test implementations.  General test structures and process monitors employed at various stages in the manufacture of MMIC devices are also presented.  Qualification methodologies are discussed in Chapter 8, along with approaches to the different aspects and levels of device development and qualification.  The significance of package reliability is given in Chapter 9, together with brief descriptions of the common packaging materials and their related effects.

 Finally, Chapter 10 addresses radiation effects on GaAs MMICs and discusses the radiation environments experienced during space flight and their effects on device performance.

 The information contained in this document has been collected from users and manufacturers through direct interaction and collaboration.  For example, the approaches to process and product acceptance, as presented in Chapter 8, were collected and compiled to present a simpler way of addressing the subject.  However, this information is presented only as a suggested approach and should be modified to accommodate the different methodologies practiced by the manufacturers.


  The NASA MMIC Reliability Assurance Working Group:

  Sammy Kayali
  George Ponchak
  Roland Shaw

  October 1996


 Abstract

 This guide is a reference for understanding the various aspects of monolithic microwave integrated circuits (MMIC).  There are special emphases on the reliability aspects of MMIC devices.  GaAs material properties and common device structures along with the applicable failure mechanisms are addressed in detail.  MMIC design and qualification methodologies provide the reader with the means of developing suitable qualification plans.  Radiation effects on GaAs devices and packaging effects on MMIC device reliability are discussed with supporting references.


 Contributors

Lisa Aucoin  Raytheon Company 
Charles Barnes  Jet Propulsion Laboratory 
Chung-Hsu Chen  TRW 
Y. C. Chou  University of California, Irvine 
Alan N. Downey  NASA Lewis Research Center 
Robert Ferro  Aerospace Corporation 
Anthony Immorlica  Lockheed Martin Company 
Wen Yan Jiang  MPB Technologies, Inc. 
Sammy Kayali  Jet Propulsion Laboratory 
George Ponchak  NASA Lewis Research Center 
Edward Rezek  TRW 
Robert R. Romanofsky  NASA Lewis Research Center 
Luis Selva  Jet Propulsion Laboratory 
Roland Shaw  Shason Microwave Corporation 
Rainee Simons  NASA Lewis Research Center 
Tien Trinh  TRW