Practical approach to determining charge collected in multi-junction structures due to the ion shunt effect

Conference · Wed Dec 01 00:00:00 EST 1993 · IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers); (United States)

OSTI ID:6908032

Brown, A O; Bhuva, B; Kerns, S E ^[1]; Stapor, W J ^[2]

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1. Vanderbilt Univ., Nashville, TN (United States). Dept. of Electrical Engineering
2. Naval Research Lab., Washington, DC (United States)

In order to design semiconductor devices so that they are resistant to single event upsets, a designer needs to know how much charge would be collected at various junctions in the semiconductor structure. For over a decade researchers have studied the physics of charge collection in semiconductor structures, focusing primarily on the charge collected between the p and n regions of a pn junction by drift and diffusion effects -- a process called funneling. However, when an energetic ion penetrates more than one pn junction, funneling is not the only charge collection mechanism. Simulations and experiments on multi-junction structures have shown dramatic change in the charge collected when an ion penetrates two pn junctions. This charge transport between two regions of like conductivity that are ''bridged'' together by the ion track is called the ion shunt effect -- an effect investigated and experimentally proven by Hauser, et al. and Knudson, et al. This paper will present the algorithms and results of a computer program used to determine the charge collected on silicon semiconductor transistors due to the ion shunt effect. The program is unique because it is quick and simple to use and because it uses a general algorithm to determine an accurate initial electron-hole pair distribution in the ion track.

• OSTI ID: 6908032
• Report Number(s): CONF-930704-; CODEN: IETNAE
• Journal Information: IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers); (United States), Vol. 40:6Pt1; Conference: NSREC '93: international nuclear and space radiation effects conference, Snowbird, UT (United States), 19-23 Jul 1993; ISSN 0018-9499
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
TRANSISTORS
PHYSICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
CHARGE COLLECTION
DESIGN
HEAVY IONS
MATHEMATICAL MODELS
THEORETICAL DATA
CHARGED PARTICLES
DATA
INFORMATION
IONS
NUMERICAL DATA
RADIATION EFFECTS
SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
440200* - Radiation Effects on Instrument Components
Instruments
or Electronic Systems