An Analysis of Ionizing Radiation Effects in Four-Layer Semiconductor Devices

The switching of a four-layer semiconductor device in an ionizing radiation environment is calculated by solving the charge transport equations to determine the motion of the electron and hole distributions and the changes in the electric field distribution throughout a one-dimensional device as a function of time. A discussion of the characteristic device turn-on as a function of the ionizing radiation exposure and external circuit and device parameters is presented. In addition to showing the detailed calculated device behavior, the theoretical and experimental results are compared.