Cryogenic probe station for on-wafer characterization of electrical devices
Abstract
A probe station, suitable for the electrical characterization of integrated circuits at cryogenic temperatures is presented. The unique design incorporates all moving components inside the cryostat at room temperature, greatly simplifying the design and allowing automated step and repeat testing. The system can characterize wafers up to 100 mm in diameter, at temperatures <20 K. It is capable of highly repeatable measurements at millimeter-wave frequencies, even though it utilizes a Gifford McMahon cryocooler which typically imposes limits due to vibration. Its capabilities are illustrated by noise temperature and S-parameter measurements on low noise amplifiers for radio astronomy, operating at 75–116 GHz.
Additional Information
© 2012 American Institute of Physics. Received 27 January 2012; accepted 17 March 2012; published online 9 April 2012. The authors are grateful to the Keck Institute for Space Studies for funding the development of the cryogenic probe station. The authors are very grateful to Mike Martin-Vegue, of MVI Engineering, for the machining, manufacturing, and design support of the probe stations components. The authors also wish to thank Todd Gaier (Jet Propulsion Laboratory) and Glenn Jones, Oliver King, and Sander Weinreb (California Institute of Technology) for helpful discussions and suggestions during the design and manufacturing of the probe station.Attached Files
Published - Russell2012p18244Rev_Sci_Instrum.pdf
Files
Russell2012p18244Rev_Sci_Instrum.pdf
Additional details
Identifiers
- Eprint ID
- 31705
- Resolver ID
- CaltechAUTHORS:20120530-095044785
Funding
- Keck Institute for Space Studies (KISS)
Dates
- Created
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2012-05-30Created from EPrint's datestamp field
- Updated
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2023-10-17Created from EPrint's last_modified field
Caltech Custom Metadata
- Caltech groups
- Keck Institute for Space Studies