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Radiation Effects of Advanced Electronic Devices and Circuits
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Radiation Effects of Advanced Electronic Devices and Circuits

A special issue of Electronics (ISSN 2079-9292). This special issue belongs to the section "Microelectronics".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 December 2023) | Viewed by 26188

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Yaqing Chi

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
College of Computer, National University of Defense Technology, Changsha 410073, China
Interests: radiation effects; single event effects; nano-electronic devices; nano-integrated circuits
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Li Cai

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Lanzhou 730000, China
Interests: radiation effects on semiconductor devices; single event effects
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Chang Cai

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
State Key Laboratory of ASIC and System, Fudan University, Shanghai 201203, China
Interests: radiation effect; advanced electronic devices; advanced integrated circuit
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Research on the effects of radiation on advanced electronic devices and integrated circuits has increased rapidly over the last few years, resulting in many interesting approaches to the modeling of radiation effects and the design of advanced radiation-hardened electronic devices and integrated circuits. This research is strongly driven by the growing need for radiation-hardened higher-performance electronics for space applications like planetary exploration, high-energy physics experiments such as those on the large hadron collider at CERN, and many nuclear applications (e.g., nuclear energy and safety management). With the progressive scaling of integrated circuit technologies and the growing complexity of electronic devices, their susceptibility to ionizing radiation has raised many exciting challenges which are expected to drive research in the coming decade. Although total ionizing dose (TID) effects in bulk CMOS is well known, little is known on the radiation performance of SOI, FinFET, GAA (gate-all-around), 3D stacking technologies or novel devices based on carbon nanotubes, graphene and other advanced materials. Regarding single-event effects (SEEs), the continued scaling has drastically enhanced the charge-sharing effect, which leads to multiple-cell upsets and multi-pulse propagations and requires new solutions to reduce the radiation sensitivity in advanced digital/analog/ RF/power/mixed-signal devices and integrated circuits. The radiation hardness assurance of complex systems with multiple components in mixed technologies also necessitates new testing paradigms and verification methodologies to limit the time and cost of evaluation.

The main aim of this Special Issue is to seek high-quality submissions that highlight emerging applications and address recent breakthroughs in modeling radiation effects in advanced electronic devices and integrated circuits; radiation-hardening techniques for advanced digital, analog, RF and mixed-signal integrated circuits; and testing methodologies for radiation-effect characterization and hardness evaluation. The topics of interest include, but are not limited to:

  • Basic mechanisms of radiation effects in advanced electronic devices, integrated circuits and novel devices.
  • Compact modeling of radiation effects in advanced electronic devices, integrated circuits and novel devices.
  • Radiation hardening and fault tolerance for advanced electronic devices, integrated circuits and novel devices.
  • Radiation environment influence: space, atmospheric, terrestrial and artificial.
  • Radiation effect characterization and radiation hardness assurance testing.
  • New developments of interest to the radiation effect community.

Prof. Dr. Yaqing Chi
Dr. Li Cai
Dr. Chang Cai
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Electronics is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • radiation effect
  • total ionizing dose
  • single-event effect
  • spacecraft charging
  • radiation hardening
  • electronic device
  • integrated circuit
  • radiation environment
  • hardness assurance

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Published Papers (20 papers)

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Editorial

Jump to: Research

6 pages, 178 KiB  
Editorial
Radiation Effects of Advanced Electronic Devices and Circuits
by Yaqing Chi, Chang Cai and Li Cai
Electronics 2024, 13(6), 1073; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13061073 - 14 Mar 2024
Viewed by 803
Abstract
Research on the effects of radiation on advanced electronic devices and integrated circuits has experienced rapid growth over the last few years, resulting in many approaches being developed for the modeling of radiation’s effects and the design of advanced radiation-hardened electronic devices and [...] Read more.
Research on the effects of radiation on advanced electronic devices and integrated circuits has experienced rapid growth over the last few years, resulting in many approaches being developed for the modeling of radiation’s effects and the design of advanced radiation-hardened electronic devices and integrated circuits [...] Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Radiation Effects of Advanced Electronic Devices and Circuits)

Research

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12 pages, 2309 KiB  
Article
Effect of Proton Irradiation on Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) Single-Photon Avalanche Diodes
by Mingzhu Xun, Yudong Li, Jie Feng, Chengfa He, Mingyu Liu and Qi Guo
Electronics 2024, 13(1), 224; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13010224 - 4 Jan 2024
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 836
Abstract
The effects of proton irradiation on CMOS Single-Photon Avalanche Diodes (SPADs) are investigated in this article. The I–V characteristics, dark count rate (DCR), and photon detection probability (PDP) of the CMOS SPADs were measured under 30 MeV and 52 MeV proton irradiations. Two [...] Read more.
The effects of proton irradiation on CMOS Single-Photon Avalanche Diodes (SPADs) are investigated in this article. The I–V characteristics, dark count rate (DCR), and photon detection probability (PDP) of the CMOS SPADs were measured under 30 MeV and 52 MeV proton irradiations. Two types of SPAD, with and without shallow trench isolation (STI), were designed. According to the experimental results, the leakage current, breakdown voltage, and PDP did not change after irradiation at a DDD of 2.82 × 108 MeV/g, but the DCR increased significantly at five different higher voltages. The DCR increased by 506 cps at an excess voltage of 2 V and 10,846 cps at 10 V after 30 MeV proton irradiation. A γ irradiation was conducted with a TID of 10 krad (Si). The DCR after the γ irradiation increased from 256 cps to 336 cps at an excess voltage of 10 V. The comparison of the DCR after proton and γ-ray irradiation with two structures of SPAD indicates that the major increase in the DCR was due to the depletion region defects caused by proton displacement damage rather than the Si-SiO2 interface trap generated by ionization. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Radiation Effects of Advanced Electronic Devices and Circuits)
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14 pages, 6612 KiB  
Article
Evaluation of Single Event Upset on a Relay Protection Device
by Hualiang Zhou, Hao Yu, Zhiyang Zou, Zhantao Su, Qianyun Zhao, Weitao Yang and Chaohui He
Electronics 2024, 13(1), 64; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics13010064 - 22 Dec 2023
Viewed by 608
Abstract
Traditionally, studies have primarily focused on single event effects in aerospace electronics. However, current research has confirmed that atmospheric neutrons can also induce single event effects in China’s advanced technology relay protection devices. Spallation neutron irradiation tests on a Loongson 2K1000 system-on-chip based [...] Read more.
Traditionally, studies have primarily focused on single event effects in aerospace electronics. However, current research has confirmed that atmospheric neutrons can also induce single event effects in China’s advanced technology relay protection devices. Spallation neutron irradiation tests on a Loongson 2K1000 system-on-chip based relay protection device have revealed soft errors, including abnormal sampling, refusal of operation and interlock in the relay protection device. Given the absence of standardized evaluation methods for single event effects on relay protection devices, the following research emphasizes the use of Monte Carlo simulation and software fault injection. Various types of single event upsets, such as single bit upsets, dual bit upsets, and even eight bit upsets, were observed in Monte Carlo simulations where atmospheric neutrons hit the chip from different directions (top and bottom). The simulation results indicated that the single event effect sensitivity of the relay protection device was similar whether the neutron hit from the top or the bottom. Through software fault injection, the study also identified soft errors caused by neutron induced single event upsets on the Loongson 2K1000 system, including failure to execute, system halt, time out, and error result. And the soft error number of system halts and error results exceeded that of time outs and failures to execute in all three tested programs. This research represents a preliminary assessment of single event effects on relay protection devices and is expected to provide valuable insights for evaluating the reliability of advanced technology relay protection devices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Radiation Effects of Advanced Electronic Devices and Circuits)
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15 pages, 1711 KiB  
Article
Machine Learning-Based Soft-Error-Rate Evaluation for Large-Scale Integrated Circuits
by Ruiqiang Song, Jinjin Shao, Yaqing Chi, Bin Liang, Jianjun Chen and Zhenyu Wu
Electronics 2023, 12(24), 4978; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12244978 - 12 Dec 2023
Viewed by 926
Abstract
Transient pulses generated by high-energy particles can cause soft errors in circuits, resulting in spacecraft malfunctions and posing serious threats to the normal operation of spacecraft. For integrated circuits used in space applications, it is necessary to first evaluate soft errors caused by [...] Read more.
Transient pulses generated by high-energy particles can cause soft errors in circuits, resulting in spacecraft malfunctions and posing serious threats to the normal operation of spacecraft. For integrated circuits used in space applications, it is necessary to first evaluate soft errors caused by transient pulses. Conventional soft-error-rate evaluation tools are designed to simulate the generation of transient pulses using many accurate models, while the propagation of transient pulses is primarily simulated by circuit-level simulation tools. Due to the limitations of simulation tools, conventional evaluation approaches are limited to the circuit scale. The simulation runtime is unbearable for large-scale integrated circuits. This paper presents an approach for evaluating the soft error rate using machine learning. A back propagation neural network is implemented in the proposed approach. It helps to determine the probability of transient pulse propagation. Compared with the conventional soft-error-rate evaluation results, the proposed approach demonstrates a strong correlation in both trend and magnitude. The average difference between the results obtained using the proposed evaluation method and the experimental results is 23.5%, which is 7.5% higher than that between the results obtained using the conventional evaluation method and the experimental results. Compared to the conventional evaluation method, the proposed approach improves the runtime by an order of magnitude. The proposed approach also benefits the locating of highly sensitive circuit nodes in large-scale integrated circuits. Circuit design and radiation hardening are both useful applications. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Radiation Effects of Advanced Electronic Devices and Circuits)
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12 pages, 5149 KiB  
Article
Refined Analysis of Leakage Current in SiC Power Metal Oxide Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors after Heavy Ion Irradiation
by Yutang Xiang, Xiaowen Liang, Jie Feng, Haonan Feng, Dan Zhang, Ying Wei, Xuefeng Yu and Qi Guo
Electronics 2023, 12(20), 4349; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12204349 - 20 Oct 2023
Viewed by 1198
Abstract
A leakage current is the most critical parameter to characterize heavy ion radiation damage in SiC MOSFETs. An accurate and refined analysis of the source and generation process of a leakage current is the key to revealing the failure mechanism. Therefore, this article [...] Read more.
A leakage current is the most critical parameter to characterize heavy ion radiation damage in SiC MOSFETs. An accurate and refined analysis of the source and generation process of a leakage current is the key to revealing the failure mechanism. Therefore, this article finely tests the online and post-irradiation leakage changes and leakage pathways of SiC MOSFETs caused by heavy ion irradiation, analyzes the damaged location of the device in reverse, and discusses the mechanism of leakage generation. The experimental results further confirm that an increase in the leakage current of a device during heavy ion irradiation is positively correlated with the applied voltage of the drain, but the leakage path is not direct from the drain to the source. The experimental analysis of the source of the leakage current of the device after irradiation indicates that there is also a leakage current path between the device gate and source. The research results suggest that the experimental sample is more prone to a single-event gate rupture effect under this heavy ion radiation condition. The gate breakdown mainly occurs in the gate oxide layer at the neck region. This research can provide a theoretical basis for the radiation resistance reinforcement of SiC power devices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Radiation Effects of Advanced Electronic Devices and Circuits)
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14 pages, 3457 KiB  
Article
Recovery Effect of Hot-Carrier Stress on γ-ray-Irradiated 0.13 μm Partially Depleted SOI n-MOSFETs
by Lan Lin, Zhongchao Cong and Chunlei Jia
Electronics 2023, 12(20), 4233; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12204233 - 13 Oct 2023
Viewed by 714
Abstract
Many silicon-on-insulator (SOI) metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) are used in deep space detection systems because they have higher radiation resistance than bulk silicon devices. However, SOI devices have to face the double challenge of radiation and conventional reliability problems, such as hot carrier [...] Read more.
Many silicon-on-insulator (SOI) metal–oxide–semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs) are used in deep space detection systems because they have higher radiation resistance than bulk silicon devices. However, SOI devices have to face the double challenge of radiation and conventional reliability problems, such as hot carrier stress, at the same time. Thus, we wondered whether there is any interaction between reliability degradation and irradiation damage. In this paper, the effect of hot-carrier injection (HCI) on γ-ray-irradiated partially depleted (PD) SOI n-MOSFETs with a T-shaped gate structure is investigated. A strange phenomenon that accelerated the annealing effect on irradiation devices caused by HCI in 5 s was observed. That is, HCI has fast recovery ability on the irradiated narrow-channel n-MOSFETs. We explain the physical mechanism of this recovery effect qualitatively. Moreover, we designed a comparable experiment to evaluate the effect on the wide-channel devices. These results show that the narrow-channel devices are more sensitive to irradiation and HCI effects than wide-channel devices. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Radiation Effects of Advanced Electronic Devices and Circuits)
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13 pages, 3468 KiB  
Article
Analysis of Difference in Areal Density Aluminum Equivalent Method in Ionizing Total Dose Shielding Analysis of Semiconductor Devices
by Mingyu Liu, Chengfa He, Jie Feng, Mingzhu Xun, Jing Sun, Yudong Li and Qi Guo
Electronics 2023, 12(19), 4181; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12194181 - 9 Oct 2023
Viewed by 1008
Abstract
The space radiation environment has a radiation effect on electronic devices, especially the total ionizing dose effect, which seriously affects the service life of spacecraft on-orbit electronic devices and electronic equipment. Therefore, it is particularly important to enhance the radiation resistance of electronic [...] Read more.
The space radiation environment has a radiation effect on electronic devices, especially the total ionizing dose effect, which seriously affects the service life of spacecraft on-orbit electronic devices and electronic equipment. Therefore, it is particularly important to enhance the radiation resistance of electronic devices. At present, many scientific research institutions still use the areal density equivalent aluminum method to calculate the shielding dose. This paper sets five common metal materials in aerospace through the GEANT4 Monte-Carlo simulation tool MULASSIS, individually calculating the absorption dose caused by single-energy electrons and protons in the silicon detector after shielding of five different materials, which have the same areal density of 0.8097 g/cm2. By comparing the above data, it was found that depending on the particle energy, the areal density aluminum equivalent method would overestimate or underestimate the absorbed dose in the shielded silicon detector, especially for the ionization total dose shielding effect of low-energy electrons. The areal density aluminum equivalent method will greatly overestimate the shielding dose, so this difference needs to be taken into account when evaluating the ionizing dose of the electronics on a spacecraft to make the assessment more accurate. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Radiation Effects of Advanced Electronic Devices and Circuits)
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8 pages, 2625 KiB  
Communication
Research on High-Dose-Rate Transient Ionizing Radiation Effect in Nano-Scale FDSOI Flip-Flops
by Tongde Li, Jingshuang Yuan, Yang Bai, Chunqing Yu, Chunliang Gou, Lei Shu, Liang Wang and Yuanfu Zhao
Electronics 2023, 12(14), 3149; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12143149 - 20 Jul 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 834
Abstract
This paper presents an experimental study on the high-dose-rate transient ionizing radiation response and influencing factors of a Nano-Scale Fully Depleted Silicon-On-Insulator (FDSOI) D flip-flops (DFFs) circuit. Results indicate that data errors occur in DFFs at the lowest dose rate of 4.70 × [...] Read more.
This paper presents an experimental study on the high-dose-rate transient ionizing radiation response and influencing factors of a Nano-Scale Fully Depleted Silicon-On-Insulator (FDSOI) D flip-flops (DFFs) circuit. Results indicate that data errors occur in DFFs at the lowest dose rate of 4.70 × 1011 rad(Si)/s in experiments, and the number of data errors shows a nonlinear increasing trend with the increase in dose rate and supply voltage. Three-dimensional technology computer-aided design (TCAD) simulations were conducted to analyze the transient photocurrent and charge collection mechanism at advanced process. The simulation results indicated that the charge collection efficiency is heightened with an increase in supply voltage, resulting in the higher photocurrent. This plays a major role in the process of charge collection for Ultra-Thin Body and Buried oxide (UTBB) FDSOI technology. The investigation into the high-dose-rate transient ionizing radiation effect (HDR-TIRE) in Nano-Scale FDSOI DFFs will aid in the assessment and application of advanced integrated circuits in aerospace. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Radiation Effects of Advanced Electronic Devices and Circuits)
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12 pages, 4874 KiB  
Article
Oxide Electric Field-Induced Degradation of SiC MOSFET for Heavy-Ion Irradiation
by Xiaowen Liang, Haonan Feng, Yutang Xiang, Jing Sun, Ying Wei, Dan Zhang, Yudong Li, Jie Feng, Xuefeng Yu and Qi Guo
Electronics 2023, 12(13), 2886; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12132886 - 29 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1293
Abstract
This work presents an experimental study of heavy-ion irradiation with different particle linear energy transfer (LET), gate biases, and drain biases. The results reveal that when the irradiation biases are low, the SiC MOSFET does not experience single event effect (SEE) and the [...] Read more.
This work presents an experimental study of heavy-ion irradiation with different particle linear energy transfer (LET), gate biases, and drain biases. The results reveal that when the irradiation biases are low, the SiC MOSFET does not experience single event effect (SEE) and the electrical properties remain unchanged (the devices are in the safe operating area (SOA)). However, the oxide breakdown voltage of the device is significantly decreased due to the latent damage generated by the irradiation. The experimental results, along with TCAD simulations, suggest that the latent damage induced by the irradiation in the gate oxide is closely related to the peak electric field in the gate oxide at the time of particle incidence. This peak electric field is determined by the potential difference between the two sides of the gate oxide, which is affected by the particle LET, gate biases, and drain biases together. The high potential is determined by the combined effect of the LET and the drain-source voltage. The impact ionization of the particle by the applied electric field causes the accumulation of holes in the JFET oxide, which leads to a decrease in the doping of the N− epitaxial layer and eventually causes a rise in the high potential near the JFET oxide. The low potential is determined by the gate bias, and the negative bias applied to the gate can further increase the potential difference between the two sides of the oxide, causing an increase in the peak electric field in the gate oxide and aggravating the gate oxide damage. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Radiation Effects of Advanced Electronic Devices and Circuits)
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11 pages, 3526 KiB  
Article
Heavy Ion Single Event Effects in CMOS Image Sensors: SET and SEU
by Zhikang Yang, Lin Wen, Yudong Li, Jie Feng, Dong Zhou, Bingkai Liu, Zitao Zhao and Qi Guo
Electronics 2023, 12(13), 2833; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12132833 - 27 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1202
Abstract
High-energy particles in space often induce single event effects in CMOS image sensors, resulting in performance degradation and functional failure. This paper focuses on the formation and morphology of transient bright spots in CMOS image sensors and analyzes the formation process of transient [...] Read more.
High-energy particles in space often induce single event effects in CMOS image sensors, resulting in performance degradation and functional failure. This paper focuses on the formation and morphology of transient bright spots in CMOS image sensors and analyzes the formation process of transient bright spots by conducting heavy ion irradiation experiments to obtain the variation law of transient bright spots with heavy ion linear energy transfer values and background gray values; in addition, we classify the single event upset that occurred in the experiments according to the state of transient bright spots and extract the characteristics of different single event upsets. The failure mechanisms of different single event upsets are analyzed according to their characteristics and are combined with the information given by transient bright spots. This provides an essential reference for rapidly evaluating single event effects and the reinforcement design of CMOS image sensors. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Radiation Effects of Advanced Electronic Devices and Circuits)
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11 pages, 3952 KiB  
Article
Mechanism of Total Ionizing Dose Effects of CMOS Image Sensors on Camera Resolution
by Jie Feng, Hai-Chuan Wang, Yu-Dong Li, Lin Wen and Qi Guo
Electronics 2023, 12(12), 2667; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12122667 - 14 Jun 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1501
Abstract
The nuclear industry and other high-radiation environments often need remote monitoring equipment with advanced cameras to achieve precise remote control operations. CMOS image sensors, as a critical component of these cameras, get exposed to γ-ray irradiation while operating in such environments, which causes [...] Read more.
The nuclear industry and other high-radiation environments often need remote monitoring equipment with advanced cameras to achieve precise remote control operations. CMOS image sensors, as a critical component of these cameras, get exposed to γ-ray irradiation while operating in such environments, which causes performance degradation that adversely affects camera resolution. This study conducted total ionizing dose experiments on CMOS image sensors and camera systems and thoroughly analyzed the impact mechanisms of the dark current, Full Well Capacity, and quantum efficiency of CMOS image sensors on camera resolution. A quantitative evaluation formula was established to evaluate the impact of Full Well Capacity and quantum efficiency of the CMOS image sensor on camera resolution. This study provides a theoretical basis for the evaluation of the radiation resistance of cameras in environments with strong nuclear radiation and the development of radiation-resistant cameras. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Radiation Effects of Advanced Electronic Devices and Circuits)
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10 pages, 3217 KiB  
Article
Total Ionizing Dose Effects of 60Co γ-Ray Radiation on Split-Gate SiC MOSFETs
by Haonan Feng, Xiaowen Liang, Xiaojuan Pu, Yutang Xiang, Teng Zhang, Ying Wei, Jie Feng, Jing Sun, Dan Zhang, Yudong Li, Xuefeng Yu and Qi Guo
Electronics 2023, 12(11), 2398; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12112398 - 25 May 2023
Viewed by 1268
Abstract
SiC power devices require resistance to both single-event effects (SEEs) and total ionizing dose effects (TIDs) in a space radiation environment. The split-gate-enhanced VDMOSFET (SGE-VDMOSFET) process can effectively enhance the radiation resistance of SiC VDMOS, but it has a certain impact on the [...] Read more.
SiC power devices require resistance to both single-event effects (SEEs) and total ionizing dose effects (TIDs) in a space radiation environment. The split-gate-enhanced VDMOSFET (SGE-VDMOSFET) process can effectively enhance the radiation resistance of SiC VDMOS, but it has a certain impact on the gate oxide reliability of SiC VDMOS. This paper investigates the impact mechanism and regularity of using the SGE process to determine the radiation resistance and long-term reliability of SiC VDMOS under other identical processes and radiation conditions. Our experimental results show that after 60Co γ-ray irradiation, the degradation degrees of the static parameters of SGE-VDMOSFET and planar gate VDMOSFET (PG-VDMOSFET) are similar. The use of the new process leads to more defects in the oxide layer, reducing the long-term reliability of the device, but its stability can recover after high-temperature (HT) accelerated annealing. This research indicates that enhancing the resistance of SEEs using an SGE-VDMOSFET structure requires simultaneously considering the demand for TIDs and long-term reliability. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Radiation Effects of Advanced Electronic Devices and Circuits)
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10 pages, 2102 KiB  
Article
Neutron Irradiation Testing and Monte Carlo Simulation of a Xilinx Zynq-7000 System on Chip
by Weitao Yang, Yonghong Li, Yang Li, Zhiliang Hu, Jiale Cai, Chaohui He, Bin Wang and Longsheng Wu
Electronics 2023, 12(9), 2057; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12092057 - 29 Apr 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1293
Abstract
The reliability of nanoscale electronic systems is important in various applications. However, they are becoming increasingly vulnerable to atmospheric neutrons. This research conducted spallation neutron irradiations on a Xilinx Zynq-7000 system on a chip using the China Spallation Neutron Source. The results were [...] Read more.
The reliability of nanoscale electronic systems is important in various applications. However, they are becoming increasingly vulnerable to atmospheric neutrons. This research conducted spallation neutron irradiations on a Xilinx Zynq-7000 system on a chip using the China Spallation Neutron Source. The results were analyzed in combination with a Monte Carlo simulation to explore the impact of atmospheric neutrons on the single event effects of the target system on chip. Meanwhile, the contribution of thermal neutrons to the chip’s single event effect susceptibility was also assessed. It was found that absorbing thermal neutrons with a 2 mm Cd sheet can protect against the single event effect on the system on the chip by about 44.4%. The effects of B and Hf elements, inside the device, on a single event effect of the Xilinx Zynq-7000 system on chip were evaluated too. Additionally, it was discovered that 10B interacting with thermal neutrons was the primary cause of the thermal neutron-induced single event effect in the system on chip. Although Hf has a high neutron capture cross section, its presence does not significantly affect the sensitivity to single event effects. However, during atmospheric neutron irradiation, the presence of Hf increases the possibility of depositing the total dose in the tested chip. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Radiation Effects of Advanced Electronic Devices and Circuits)
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15 pages, 2976 KiB  
Article
Proton Radiation Effects of CMOS Image Sensors on Different Star Map Recognition Algorithms for Star Sensors
by Yihao Cui, Jie Feng, Yudong Li, Lin Wen and Qi Guo
Electronics 2023, 12(7), 1629; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12071629 - 30 Mar 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1235
Abstract
Star sensors are widely used by satellites for their precise pointing accuracy. However, protons in space will cause cumulative effects and single-event transients in the imaging systems of star sensors. These effects will affect the success rate of star map recognition of star [...] Read more.
Star sensors are widely used by satellites for their precise pointing accuracy. However, protons in space will cause cumulative effects and single-event transients in the imaging systems of star sensors. These effects will affect the success rate of star map recognition of star sensors. In this paper, proton irradiation experiments and field tests were carried out in turn, and three typical star recognition algorithms were used to recognize the star maps. The results showed that cumulative effects led to a decrease in the number of identifiable stars, which greatly affected the recognition success rate of the grid algorithm. Hot pixels caused by displacement damage effects increased the star centroid positioning error, leading to a decrease in the recognition success rate of the triangle algorithm and pyramid algorithm. Single-event transients produced by protons hitting the image sensor are similar to the grayscale value and shape of a star, and were recognized as “false stars”, which had a significant impact on the success rate of the three recognition algorithms. In general, the pyramid algorithm was more effective than the other two algorithms in identifying the affected star map, and the recognition success rate of the grid algorithm was significantly reduced. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Radiation Effects of Advanced Electronic Devices and Circuits)
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13 pages, 2340 KiB  
Article
Study of the Within-Batch TID Response Variability on Silicon-Based VDMOS Devices
by Xiao Li, Jiangwei Cui, Qiwen Zheng, Pengwei Li, Xu Cui, Yudong Li and Qi Guo
Electronics 2023, 12(6), 1403; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12061403 - 15 Mar 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1088
Abstract
Silicon-based vertical double-diffused MOSFET (VDMOS) devices are important components of the power system of spacecraft. However, VDMOS is sensitive to the total ionizing dose (TID) effect and may have TID response variability. The within-batch TID response variability on silicon-based VDMOS devices is studied [...] Read more.
Silicon-based vertical double-diffused MOSFET (VDMOS) devices are important components of the power system of spacecraft. However, VDMOS is sensitive to the total ionizing dose (TID) effect and may have TID response variability. The within-batch TID response variability on silicon-based VDMOS devices is studied by the 60Co gamma-ray irradiation experiment in this paper. The variations in device parameters after irradiation is obtained, and the damage mechanism is revealed. Experimental results show that the standard deviations of threshold voltage, subthreshold swing, output capacitance, and diode forward voltage increase, while the standard deviation of maximum transconductance decreases after irradiation. The standard deviation of on-state resistance is basically unchanged before and after irradiation. By separating the trapped charges generated by TID irradiation, it is found that the deviation of the oxide trapped charges and the interface traps increase with the increase in the total dose. The reasons for the variation in device parameters after irradiation are revealed by establishing the relationship between the trapped charges and the electrical parameters before and after irradiation. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Radiation Effects of Advanced Electronic Devices and Circuits)
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19 pages, 1093 KiB  
Article
Effects of Different Factors on Single Event Effects Introduced by Heavy Ions in SiGe Heterojunction Bipolar Transistor: A TCAD Simulation
by Zheng Zhang, Gang Guo, Futang Li, Haohan Sun, Qiming Chen, Shuyong Zhao, Jiancheng Liu and Xiaoping Ouyang
Electronics 2023, 12(4), 1008; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12041008 - 17 Feb 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1634
Abstract
In this paper, the effects of different factors, including the heavy ions striking location, incident angle, linear energy transfer (LET) value, projected range, ambient temperature and bias state, on the single event transient introduced by heavy ions irradiation in the SiGe heterojunction bipolar [...] Read more.
In this paper, the effects of different factors, including the heavy ions striking location, incident angle, linear energy transfer (LET) value, projected range, ambient temperature and bias state, on the single event transient introduced by heavy ions irradiation in the SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) were investigated by the TCAD simulation. The results show that the current transient peak value, collected charge and carrier type of each terminal are changed by the striking location, incident angle and bias state. The current transient peak value and collected charge increase with the LET value, while they decrease with the ambient temperature. When heavy ions vertically irradiate the collector and substrate, the current transient peak value and collected charge increase with the projected range; therefore, the species of heavy ions should be considered in studying the single event effects of the SiGe HBT induced by heavy ions irradiation. The microphysical mechanism of these factors influencing the single event effects of the SiGe HBT is discussed in this work. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Radiation Effects of Advanced Electronic Devices and Circuits)
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14 pages, 2568 KiB  
Article
Effect of Trapped Charge Induced by Total Ionizing Dose Radiation on the Top-Gate Carbon Nanotube Field Effect Transistors
by Hongyu Ding, Jiangwei Cui, Qiwen Zheng, Haitao Xu, Ningfei Gao, Mingzhu Xun, Gang Yu, Chengfa He, Yudong Li and Qi Guo
Electronics 2023, 12(4), 1000; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12041000 - 17 Feb 2023
Cited by 1 | Viewed by 1522
Abstract
The excellent performance and radiation-hardness potential of carbon nanotube (CNT) field effect transistors (CNTFETs) have attracted wide attention. However, top-gate structure CNTFETs, which are often used to make high-performance devices, have not been studied enough. In this paper, the total ionizing dose (TID) [...] Read more.
The excellent performance and radiation-hardness potential of carbon nanotube (CNT) field effect transistors (CNTFETs) have attracted wide attention. However, top-gate structure CNTFETs, which are often used to make high-performance devices, have not been studied enough. In this paper, the total ionizing dose (TID) effect of the top-gate structure CNTFETs and the influence of the substrate on top-gate during irradiation are studied. The parameter degradation caused by the irradiation- and radiation-damage mechanisms of the top-gate P-type CNTFET were obtained by performing a Co-60 γ-ray irradiation test. The results indicate that the transfer curves of the top-gate P-type CNTFETs shift negatively, the threshold voltage and the transconductance decrease when TID increases, and the subthreshold swing decreases first and then increases with the increase in TID. The back-gate transistor is constructed by using the substrate as a back-gate, and the influence of back-gate bias on the characteristics of the top-gate transistor is tested. We also test the influence of TID irradiation on the characteristics of back-gate transistors, and reveal the effect of trapped charge introduced by radiation on the characteristics of top-gate transistors. In addition, the CNTFETs that we used have obvious hysteresis characteristics. After irradiation, the radiation-induced trapped charges generated in oxide and the OH groups generated by ionization of the CNT adsorbates aggravate the hysteresis characteristics of CNTFET, and the hysteresis window increases with the increase in TID. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Radiation Effects of Advanced Electronic Devices and Circuits)
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11 pages, 5423 KiB  
Article
The Inflection Point of Single Event Transient in SiGe HBT at a Cryogenic Temperature
by Xiaoyu Pan, Hongxia Guo, Chao Lu, Hong Zhang and Yinong Liu
Electronics 2023, 12(3), 648; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12030648 - 28 Jan 2023
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1179
Abstract
Basing our findings on our previous pulsed laser testing results, we have experimentally demonstrated that there is an inflection point of a single event transient (SET) in the silicon-germanium heterojunction bipolar transistors (SiGe HBTs) with a decreasing temperature from +20 °C to −180 [...] Read more.
Basing our findings on our previous pulsed laser testing results, we have experimentally demonstrated that there is an inflection point of a single event transient (SET) in the silicon-germanium heterojunction bipolar transistors (SiGe HBTs) with a decreasing temperature from +20 °C to −180 °C. Additionally, the changes in the parasitic resistivity of the carrier collection pathway due to incomplete ionization could play a key role. In this paper, we found that the incident-heavy ion’s parameters could also have an important impact on the SET inflection point by introducing the ion track structures generated by Geant4 simulation to the TCAD transient simulation. Heavy ion with a low linear energy transfer (LET) will not trigger the ion shunt effect of SiGe HBT and the inflection point will not occur until −200 °C. For high LET ions’ incidence, the high-density electron-hole pairs (EHPs) could significantly affect the parasitic resistivity on the pathway and lead to an earlier inflection point. The present results and methods could provide a new reference for the effective evaluation of single-event effects in bipolar transistors and circuits at cryogenic temperatures and provide new evidence of the SiGe technology’s potential for applications in extreme cryogenic environments. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Radiation Effects of Advanced Electronic Devices and Circuits)
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12 pages, 2445 KiB  
Communication
Study of Single Event Latch-Up Hardness for CMOS Devices with a Resistor in Front of DC-DC Converter
by Jindou Xin, Xiang Zhu, Yingqi Ma and Jianwei Han
Electronics 2023, 12(3), 550; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics12030550 - 20 Jan 2023
Cited by 3 | Viewed by 1758
Abstract
Bulk silicon Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) devices have distinct single event latch-up (SEL) problems in aerospace. Therefore, it is essential that CMOS devices are designed with appropriate circuit-level methods. Traditional resistor hardness satisfies the current aerospace trend of low cost, high performance, [...] Read more.
Bulk silicon Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS) devices have distinct single event latch-up (SEL) problems in aerospace. Therefore, it is essential that CMOS devices are designed with appropriate circuit-level methods. Traditional resistor hardness satisfies the current aerospace trend of low cost, high performance, and miniaturization. Therefore conventional resistor hardness is often applied in circuit-level designs due to the reduction of latch-up current. In circuits containing a DC-DC buck converter, the resistor is connected to the back of the converter in the traditional method. However, the traditional method is unable to take devices out of the latch-up owing to the small resistance range. To solve this problem, the paper proposes an improved design for the resistor in front of the DC-DC buck converter. The proposed method enables the devices to exit the latch-up by increasing the resistance range according to the input characteristic of the DC-DC buck converter. The paper quantifies the range of the resistor through the parametric model containing the resistor and the DC-DC buck converter. Two CMOS devices are chosen for pulsed laser experiments, verifying that the proposed method increases the resistance ranges by 300% to 400% compared to the conventional method. It is also demonstrated that the proposed method exits the devices from latch-up within the resistor ranges. That is, the resistance ranges of 34 Ω~41 Ω and 51 Ω~56 Ω reduce the latch-up currents of the devices to below holding currents of 72.1 mA and 24.2 mA, respectively. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Radiation Effects of Advanced Electronic Devices and Circuits)
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10 pages, 3609 KiB  
Communication
The Effects of Total Ionizing Dose on the SEU Cross-Section of SOI SRAMs
by Peixiong Zhao, Bo Li, Hainan Liu, Jinhu Yang, Yang Jiao, Qiyu Chen, Youmei Sun and Jie Liu
Electronics 2022, 11(19), 3188; https://doi.org/10.3390/electronics11193188 - 5 Oct 2022
Cited by 2 | Viewed by 1881
Abstract
The total ionizing dose (TID) effects on single-event upset (SEU) hardness are investigated for two silicon-on-insulator (SOI) static random access memories (SRAMs) with different layout structures in this paper. The contrary changing trends of TID on SEU sensitivity for 6T and 7T SOI [...] Read more.
The total ionizing dose (TID) effects on single-event upset (SEU) hardness are investigated for two silicon-on-insulator (SOI) static random access memories (SRAMs) with different layout structures in this paper. The contrary changing trends of TID on SEU sensitivity for 6T and 7T SOI SRAMs are observed in our experiment. After 800 krad(Si) irradiation, the SEU cross-sections of 6T SRAMs increases by 15%, while 7T SRAMs decreases by 60%. Experimental results show that the SEU cross-sections are not only affected by TID irradiation, but also strongly correlate with the layout structure of the memory cells. Theoretical analysis shows that the decrease of SEU cross-section of 7T SRAM is caused by a raised OFF-state equivalent resistance of the delay transistor N5 after TID exposure, which is because the radiation-induced charges are trapped in the shallow trench, and isolation oxide (STI) and buried oxide (BOX) enhance the carrier scattering rate of delay transistor N5. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Radiation Effects of Advanced Electronic Devices and Circuits)
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