Title :
Hardness-assurance and testing issues for bipolar/BiCMOS devices
Author :
Nowlin, R. Nathan ; Fleetwood, D.M. ; Schrimpf, R.D. ; Pease, R.L. ; Combs, W.E.
Author_Institution :
Dept. of Electr. Comput. Eng., Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
fDate :
12/1/1993 12:00:00 AM
Abstract :
The dose-rate dependence of bipolar current-gain degradation is mapped over a wide range of dose rates. This dependence is very different from analogous MOSFET curves. Annealing experiments following irradiation show negligible change in base current at room temperature, but significant recovery at temperatures of 100°C and above. In contrast to what is observed in MOSFETs, irradiation and annealing tests cannot be used to predict the low-dose-rate response of bipolar devices. A comparison of X-ray-induced and 60Co gamma-ray-induced gain degradation for bipolar transistors is reported. The role of the emitter bias during irradiation is also examined. Preliminary field-oxide capacitor studies suggest that the mechanism for the dose-rate effect may be related to charge yield in the basic surface oxides. Recommendations for hardness-assurance testing of bipolar devices include testing at dose rates below 10 rad(SiO2)/s and applying safety factors to estimate the space-environment response
Keywords :
BiCMOS integrated circuits; X-ray effects; annealing; bipolar integrated circuits; bipolar transistors; gamma-ray effects; radiation hardening (electronics); semiconductor device testing; BiCMOS devices; X-ray irradiation; annealing; bipolar current-gain degradation; bipolar transistors; charge yield; dose-rate dependence; emitter bias; field-oxide capacitor; gamma-ray-induced gain degradation; hardness-assurance testing; low-dose-rate response; space-environment response; surface oxides; testing issues; Annealing; BiCMOS integrated circuits; Bipolar transistors; Cranes; Current measurement; Degradation; Ionizing radiation; Laboratories; Temperature; Testing;
Journal_Title :
Nuclear Science, IEEE Transactions on
