Radiation Effects in Enhancement Mode GAAS Junction Field Effect Transistors

The degradation of the electrical characteristics of enhancement mode gallium arsenide junction field effect transistors exposed to fast neutrons (E > 10 keV) or to ionizing radiation (Co60) is shown to arise substantially from changes in mobility and free carrier concentration. However, circuit operation of devices with channel impurity concentrations of about 1017 cm-3 will not be impaired by fast neutron fluences of 1015 n/cm2 and ionizing radiation doses of 108 rad (GaAs). A comparison of radiation tolerances of the enhancement mode and the depletion mode JFET is presented in this paper.