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.

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.

A practical guide to the effects of radiation on semiconductor components of electronic systems, and techniques for the designing, laying out, and testing of hardened integrated circuits This book teaches the fundamentals of radiation environments and their effects on electronic components, as well as how to design, lay out, and test cost-effective hardened semiconductor chips not only for today’s space systems but for commercial terrestrial applications as well. It provides a historical perspective, the fundamental science of radiation, and the basics of semiconductors, as well as radiation-induced failure mechanisms in semiconductor chips. Integrated Circuits Design for Radiation Environments starts by introducing readers to semiconductors and radiation environments (including space, atmospheric, and terrestrial environments) followed by circuit design and layout. The book introduces radiation effects phenomena including single-event effects, total ionizing dose damage and displacement damage) and shows how technological solutions can address both phenomena. Describes the fundamentals of radiation environments and their effects on electronic components Teaches readers how to design, lay out and test cost-effective hardened semiconductor chips for space systems and commercial terrestrial applications Covers natural and man-made radiation environments, space systems and commercial terrestrial applications Provides up-to-date coverage of state-of-the-art of radiation hardening technology in one concise volume Includes questions and answers for the reader to test their knowledge Integrated Circuits Design for Radiation Environments will appeal to researchers and product developers in the semiconductor, space, and defense industries, as well as electronic engineers in the medical field. The book is also helpful for system, layout, process, device, reliability, applications, ESD, latchup and circuit design semiconductor engineers, along with anyone involved in micro-electronics used in harsh environments.

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.

This book presents the latest developments in semiconducting materials and devices, providing up-to-date information on the science, processes, and applications in the field. A wide range of topics are covered, including optoelectronic devices, metal–semiconductor junctions, heterojunctions, MISFETs, LEDs, semiconductor lasers, photodiodes, switching diodes, tunnel diodes, Gunn diodes, solar cells, varactor diodes, IMPATT diodes, and advanced semiconductors. Detailed attention is paid to advanced and futuristic materials. In addition, clear explanations are provided of, for example, electron theories, high-field effects, the Hall effect, transit-time effects, drift and diffusion, breakdown mechanisms, equilibrium and transient conditions, switching, and biasing. The book is designed to meet the needs of undergraduate engineering students and will also be very useful for postgraduate students; it will assist in preparation for examinations at colleges and universities and for other examinations in engineering. Practice questions are therefore presented in both essay and multiple choice format, and many solved examples and unsolved problems are included.

The book reviews the most interesting research concerning the radiation defects formed in 6H-, 4H-, and 3C-SiC under irradiation with electrons, neutrons, and some kinds of ions. The electrical parameters that make SiC a promising material for applications in modern electronics are discussed in detail. Specific features of the crystal structure of SiC are considered. It is shown that, when wide-bandgap semiconductors are studied, it is necessary to take into account the temperature dependence of the carrier removal rate, which is a standard parameter for determining the radiation hardness of semiconductors. The carrier removal rate values obtained by irradiation of various SiC polytypes with n- and p-type conductivity are analyzed in relation to the type and energy of the irradiating particles. The influence exerted by the energy of charged particles on how radiation defects are formed and conductivity is compensated in semiconductors under irradiation is analyzed. Furthermore, the possibility to produce controlled transformation of silicon carbide polytype is considered. The involvement of radiation defects in radiative and nonradiative recombination processes in SiC is analyzed. Data are also presented regarding the degradation of particular SiC electronic devices under the influence of radiation and a conclusion is made regarding the radiation resistance of SiC. Lastly, the radiation hardness of devices based on silicon and silicon carbide are compared.

This volume contains the proceedings of the 10th edition of the International Conference on Simulation of Semiconductor Processes and Devices (SISPAD 2004), held in Munich, Germany, on September 2-4, 2004. The conference program included 7 invited plenary lectures and 82 contributed papers for oral or poster presentation, which were carefully selected out of a total of 151 abstracts submitted from 14 countries around the world. Like the previous meetings, SISPAD 2004 provided a world-wide forum for the presentation and discussion of recent advances and developments in the theoretical description, physical modeling and numerical simulation and analysis of semiconductor fabrication processes, device operation and system performance. The variety of topics covered by the conference contributions reflects the physical effects and technological problems encountered in consequence of the progressively shrinking device dimensions and the ever-growing complexity in device technology.

This book primarily focuses on the radiation effects and compact model of silicon-germanium (SiGe) heterojunction bipolar transistors (HBTs). It introduces the small-signal equivalent circuit of SiGe HBTs including the distributed effects, and proposes a novel direct analytical extraction technique based on non-linear rational function fitting. It also presents the total dose effects irradiated by gamma rays and heavy ions, as well as the single-event transient induced by pulse laser microbeams. It offers readers essential information on the irradiation effects technique and the SiGe HBTs model using that technique.