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

Conference · Thu Nov 30 23:00:00 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--
• Journal Information: IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers); (USA), Journal Name: IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers); (USA) Vol. 36:6; ISSN 0018-9499; ISSN IETNA
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
360605 -- Materials-- Radiation Effects
42 ENGINEERING
426000 -- Engineering-- Components
Electron Devices & Circuits-- (1990-)
440200* -- Radiation Effects on Instrument Components
Instruments
or Electronic Systems
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
654003 -- Radiation & Shielding Physics-- Neutron Interactions with Matter
73 NUCLEAR PHYSICS AND RADIATION PHYSICS
ARSENIC COMPOUNDS
ARSENIDES
BARYONS
CURRENTS
ELECTRIC CURRENTS
ELECTRICAL EQUIPMENT
ELECTRONIC CIRCUITS
ELEMENTARY PARTICLES
ENERGY LEVELS
EQUIPMENT
FABRICATION
FERMI LEVEL
FERMIONS
FIELD EFFECT TRANSISTORS
GALLIUM ARSENIDES
GALLIUM COMPOUNDS
HADRONS
HARDENING
HETEROJUNCTIONS
INTEGRATED CIRCUITS
INTERACTIONS
INVERTERS
JUNCTIONS
MEASURING INSTRUMENTS
MICROELECTRONIC CIRCUITS
NEUTRON DETECTORS
NEUTRONS
NUCLEONS
PHYSICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
PNICTIDES
RADIATION DETECTORS
RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIATION HARDENING
SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
SEMICONDUCTOR JUNCTIONS
THRESHOLD CURRENT
THRESHOLD DETECTORS
TRANSISTORS