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Seeing Photons Progress and Limits of Visible and Infrared Sensor Arrays (2010) / Chapter Skim
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Appendix C: Background Information on Radiation Hardening for Detectors
Pages 167-174

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From page 167...
... In the Polar Regions, there are slightly increased levels due to the Van Allen belts which will allow more heavy ions to penetrate. At geosynchronous orbit, doses are somewhat higher, but still low compared to interplanetary space due to geomagnetic shielding.
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From page 168...
... Because bipolar components are minority carrier type devices, neutron radiation affects them at lower doses than for MOS devices. In bipolar integrated circuits, the base transit time and width are the main physical parameters affected.
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From page 169...
... : These are also known as soft errors that occur due to either the deposition of depletion of charge by a single ion at a circuit node, causing a change of state in a memory cell. In very sensitive devices, a single ion hit can also cause multiple-bit upsets (MBUs)
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From page 170...
... More recently, a number of research institutions and corporations have demonstrated the basic feasibility of RHBD using standard commercial foundries; however, to satisfy the military's need for a wide range of part types and hardness levels, a self sustaining RHBD infrastructure must be established, and the RHBD approach must be proven robust enough to use without some degree of fabrication process control.2 The manufacturing processes used to build commercial electronic components in the 1970s and 1980s were severely inadequate to meet the needs of the space community. But as commercial CMOS processes have advanced, the inherent ra diation resistance of these devices has improved -- and thus, the RHBD approach has become more feasible.3 For example, the current that flows through CMOS transistors is governed by a low-voltage gate over each device, isolated by a layer of oxide.
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From page 171...
... Snoeys, "Radiation Tolerant VLSI Circuits in Standard Deep Submicron CMOS Technologies for the LHC Experiments: Practical Design Aspects," IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science, Vol.
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From page 172...
... The trade-off may be worthwhile: Using RHBD, several manufacturers have demonstrated radiation hardness in excess of 20 Megarads using commercial CMOS foundries, making them suitable for use in nuclear reactors as well as severe space environments.11,12 Companies such as Raytheon Vision systems, Teledyne Imaging Systems and BAE are all experienced in manufacturing RHBD products for space applications. Single-event upsets require different mitigation techniques.
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From page 173...
... Funding for libraries with the most stringent requirements -- and thus the smallest markets -- must be generated by the customer community.14 Commercial foundries typically provide the starting material for all electronic components manufactured in their processing facilities; however, nonstandard starting materials incorporating epitaxial layers or insulating substrates, for example, may enhance radiation immunity. The part supplier and the selected foundry may agree to substitute appropriate starting materials to provide additional levels of radiation hardness.
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From page 174...
... The infrastructure needed to make RHBD a mainstream procurement approach is gradually being developed.15 In addition to the ROIC performance, the detector performance is also im pacted by radiation due to different layers ionizing, increase in dark currents due to charge carrier generation etc. The detector response depends on numerous factors such as detector material type, growth process, detector design, detector fabrication, and defects arising thru these different steps.
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Key Terms

  • nuclear science
  • ieee transactions
  • space radiation
  • radiation hardness
  • submicron cmos

  • ionizing dose
  • total ionizing
  • radiation effects
  • radiation environment
  • gate oxide

  • heavy ion
  • heavy ions
  • leakage current
  • circuit node
  • neutron radiation

  • radiation hardening
  • single heavy
  • enhance radiation
  • radiation immunity
  • tolerant vlsi

  • starting materials
  • commercial cmos
  • hardened memory
  • ieee nuclear
  • additional levels

  • effects conference
  • deep submicron
  • proton energies
  • single latch
  • diffusion length


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