Basic Mechanisms Of Radiation Effects In Electronic Materials And Devices

This report reviews the primary physical processes underlying the response of electronic materials and devices to radiation as well as the relationship of these processes to the modes of circuit degradation and failure. An overview presents brief discussions of the major radiation environments of practical interest, the interaction of radiation with solid targets, common terminology of radiation exposure, and the primary radiation effects in electronic materials, including ionization effects (radiation-induced photocurrents and space charge buildup) and atomic displacement damage effects. An emphasis is given to the problem of total-dose ionization response, primarily in metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) systems. In particular, a description of the basic physical phenomena underlying the complex time history of the MOS radiation response is given, and some implications of the time-dependent response for issues of radiation testing, hardness assurance and radiation response prediction are pointed out. There is also discussion on the implications of scaling down the gate oxide thickness and on the increasingly important problem of radiation-induced leakage currents. Keywords: Radiation effects, Ionizing radiation, Nuclear weapons effects, Microelectronics, Metal oxide semiconductor devices, Bipolar devices, Total dose ionization, Transient radiation, Single event upset.