Bipolar integrated Kelvin test structure for contact resistance measurement of self-aligned implantations

A Kelvin contact resistance test structure has been developed for accurate measurement of highly-doped, shallow n⁺ and p⁺ implantations, which are self-aligned to the contact window. Here the structure has been integrated, without additional processing, in a 30 GHz washed-emitter-base n-p-n bipolar process, for the purpose of monitoring the emitter contact resistance. Diffusion taps to the emitter have been made with the phosphorus collector-plug implantation. Phosphorus evaporation from the contact window during the anneal step and the low sheet resistance of the collector-plug implantation, together with the overall design of the test structure, assure a very accurate determination of the emitter contact resistance even in situations where complete junction isolation of the diffusion taps is not directly possible. Results are presented for the optimization of the emitter anneal cycle with respect to the emitter contact resistance.