Basic mechanisms of radiation effects on electronic materials and devices

Many defense and nuclear reactor systems require complementary metal-oxide semiconductor integrated circuits that are tolerant to high levels of radiation. This radiation can result from space, hostile environments or nuclear reactor and accelerator beam environments. In addition, many techniques used to fabricate today's complex very-large-scale integration circuits expose the circuits to ionizing radiation during the process sequence. Whatever its origin, radiation can cause significant damage to integrated-circuit materials. This damage can lead to circuit performance degradation, logic upset, and even catastrophic circuit failure. This paper provides a brief overview of the basic mechanisms for radiation damage to silicon-based integrated circuits. Primary emphasis is on the effects of total-dose ionizing radiation on metal-oxide-semiconductor (MOS) structures.