Characteristics of GaAs heterojunction FETs (HFETs) and source follower FET logic (SFFL) inverters exoposed to high energy neutrons

Conference · Fri Dec 01 00:00:00 EST 1989 · IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers); (USA)

OSTI ID:6997729

Janousek, B K; Krantz, R J; Bloss, W L; Yamada, W E; Brown, S ^[1]; Remke, R L; Witmer, S ^[2]

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1. The Aerospace Corp., Los Angeles, CA (US)
2. AT and T Bell Lab., Reading, PA (US)

This paper reports GaAs heterojunction field effect transistors (HFETs), and inverters and ring oscillators comprising HFETs exposed to neutron fluences of 5 {times} 10{sup 13}n/cm{sup 2} to 1 {times} 10{sup 15}n/cm{sup 2} to evaluate the characteristics of HFET integrated circuits in a high-energy neutron environment. The HFETs irradiated in this study exhibited pre-irradiation transconductances of approximately 120 mS/mm and threshold voltages of {minus} 0.82 V. The degree of transconductance degradation is similar to that observed in ion-implanted GaAs MESFETs; however, the magnitude of the HFET threshold shift (only 140 mV at a neutron fluence of 1 {times} 10{sup 15}n/cm{sup 2}) is significantly smaller than that observed in GaAs MESFETs. The neutron-induced threshold shift in GaAs HFETs has been modeled including the effect of pinning the Fermi level at the semi-insulating boundary. Neutron bombardment of source-follower FET logic (SFFL) inverters and ring oscillators comprising HFET devices results in a reduction in high noise margin and an increase in low noise margin with a 35% reduction in ring oscillator frequency at 1 {times} 10{sup 15}n/cm{sup 2}. These results indicate that more complex HFET SFFL circuits should remain functional at high neutron fluences.

• OSTI ID: 6997729
• Report Number(s): CONF-890723-; CODEN: IETNA; TRN: 90-014107
• Journal Information: IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers); (USA), Vol. 36:6; Conference: 26. annual conference on nuclear and space radiation effects, Marco Island, FL (USA), 25-29 Jul 1989; ISSN 0018-9499
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
42 ENGINEERING
FIELD EFFECT TRANSISTORS
INTERACTIONS
GALLIUM ARSENIDES
HETEROJUNCTIONS
RADIATION HARDENING
NEUTRONS
FABRICATION
FERMI LEVEL
INTEGRATED CIRCUITS
INVERTERS
THRESHOLD CURRENT
THRESHOLD DETECTORS
ARSENIC COMPOUNDS
ARSENIDES
BARYONS
CURRENTS
ELECTRIC CURRENTS
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
ELECTRONIC CIRCUITS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ENERGY LEVELS
EQUIPMENT
FERMIONS
GALLIUM COMPOUNDS
HADRONS
HARDENING
JUNCTIONS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
MICROELECTRONIC CIRCUITS
NEUTRON DETECTORS
NUCLEONS
PHYSICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
PNICTIDES
RADIATION DETECTORS
RADIATION EFFECTS
SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
SEMICONDUCTOR JUNCTIONS
TRANSISTORS
440200* - Radiation Effects on Instrument Components
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360605 - Materials- Radiation Effects
426000 - Engineering- Components
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