Radiation Effects In Semiconductors And Semiconducting Devices

Space applications, nuclear physics, military operations, medical imaging, and especially electronics (modern silicon processing) are obvious fields in which radiation damage can have serious consequences, i.e., degradation of MOS devices and circuits. Zeroing in on vital aspects of this broad and complex topic, Radiation Effects in Semiconductors addresses the ever-growing need for a clear understanding of radiation effects on semiconductor devices and circuits to combat potential damage it can cause. Features a chapter authored by renowned radiation authority Lawrence T. Clark on Radiation Hardened by Design SRAM Strategies for TID and SEE Mitigation This book analyzes the radiation problem, focusing on the most important aspects required for comprehending the degrading effects observed in semiconductor devices, circuits, and systems when they are irradiated. It explores how radiation interacts with solid materials, providing a detailed analysis of three ways this occurs: Photoelectric effect, Compton effect, and creation of electron-positron pairs. The author explains that the probability of these three effects occurring depends on the energy of the incident photon and the atomic number of the target. The book also discusses the effects that photons can have on matter—in terms of ionization effects and nuclear displacement Written for post-graduate researchers, semiconductor engineers, and nuclear and space engineers with some electronics background, this carefully constructed reference explains how ionizing radiation is creating damage in semiconducting devices and circuits and systems—and how that damage can be avoided in areas such as military/space missions, nuclear applications, plasma damage, and X-ray-based techniques. It features top-notch international experts in industry and academia who address emerging detector technologies, circuit design techniques, new materials, and innovative system approaches.

This wide-ranging book summarizes the current knowledge of radiation defects in semiconductors, outlining the shortcomings of present experimental and modelling techniques and giving an outlook on future developments. It also provides information on the application of sensors in nuclear power plants.

This book focuses on reliability and radiation effects in compound semiconductors, which have evolved rapidly during the last 15 years. It starts with first principles, and shows how advances in device design and manufacturing have suppressed many of the older reliability mechanisms.It is the first book that comprehensively covers reliability and radiation effects in optoelectronic as well as microelectronic devices. It contrasts reliability mechanisms of compound semiconductors with those of silicon-based devices, and shows that the reliability of many compound semiconductors has improved to the level where they can be used for ten years or more with low failure rates.

This book provides a detailed treatment of radiation effects in electronic devices, including effects at the material, device, and circuit levels. The emphasis is on transient effects caused by single ionizing particles (single-event effects and soft errors) and effects produced by the cumulative energy deposited by the radiation (total ionizing dose effects). Bipolar (Si and SiGe), metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS), and compound semiconductor technologies are discussed. In addition to considering the specific issues associated with high-performance devices and technologies, the book includes the background material necessary for understanding radiation effects at a more general level.

Ionizing Radiation Effects in Electronics: From Memories to Imagers delivers comprehensive coverage of the effects of ionizing radiation on state-of-the-art semiconductor devices. The book also offers valuable insight into modern radiation-hardening techniques. The text begins by providing important background information on radiation effects, their underlying mechanisms, and the use of Monte Carlo techniques to simulate radiation transport and the effects of radiation on electronics. The book then: Explains the effects of radiation on digital commercial devices, including microprocessors and volatile and nonvolatile memories—static random-access memories (SRAMs), dynamic random-access memories (DRAMs), and Flash memories Examines issues like soft errors, total dose, and displacement damage, together with hardening-by-design solutions for digital circuits, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and mixed-analog circuits Explores the effects of radiation on fiber optics and imager devices such as complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) sensors and charge-coupled devices (CCDs) Featuring real-world examples, case studies, extensive references, and contributions from leading experts in industry and academia, Ionizing Radiation Effects in Electronics: From Memories to Imagers is suitable both for newcomers who want to become familiar with radiation effects and for radiation experts who are looking for more advanced material or to make effective use of beam time.