Hard error generation by neutron irradiation
We have observed that neutron-induced fission of uranium contaminants present in alumina ceramic package lids results in the release of fission fragments that can cause hard errors in metal nitride-oxidenonvolatile RAMs (MNOS NVRAMs). Hard error generation requires the simultaneous presence of (1) a fission fragment with a linear energy transfer (LET) greater than 20 MeV/mg/cm/sup 2/ moving at an angle of 30/sup 0/ or less from the electric field in the high-field, gate region of the memory transistor and (2) a WRITE or ERASE voltage on the oxide-nitride transistor gate. In reactor experiments, we observe these hard errors when a ceramic lid is used on both MNOS NVRAMs and polysilicon-nitride-oxide-semiconductor (SNOS) capacitors, but hard errors are not observed when a gold-plated kovar lid is used on the package containing these die. We have mapped the tracks of the fission fragments released from the ceramic lids with a mica track detector and used a Monte Carlo model of fission fragment transport through the ceramic lid to measure the concentration of uranium present in the lids. Our concentration measurements are in excellent agreement with others' measurements of uranium concentration in ceramic lids. Our Monte Carlo analyses also agree closely with our measurements of hard error probability in MNOS NVRAMs. 15 refs., 13 figs., 8 tabs.
- Research Organization:
- Sandia National Labs., Albuquerque, NM (USA); Rensselaer Polytechnic Inst., Troy, NY (USA)
- DOE Contract Number:
- AC04-76DP00789
- OSTI ID:
- 5932449
- Report Number(s):
- SAND-87-0408C; CONF-870724-11; ON: DE87013062; TRN: 87-038427
- Resource Relation:
- Conference: 24. annual conference on nuclear and space radiation in electronics, Snowmass, CO, USA, 28 Jul 1987; Other Information: Portions of this document are illegible in microfiche products
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
42 ENGINEERING
MEMORY DEVICES
PHYSICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
ALUMINIUM OXIDES
FISSION
FISSION FRAGMENTS
MONTE CARLO METHOD
NEUTRON REACTIONS
TRACE AMOUNTS
URANIUM
ACTINIDES
ALUMINIUM COMPOUNDS
BARYON REACTIONS
CHALCOGENIDES
ELEMENTS
HADRON REACTIONS
METALS
NUCLEAR FRAGMENTS
NUCLEAR REACTIONS
NUCLEON REACTIONS
OXIDES
OXYGEN COMPOUNDS
RADIATION EFFECTS
654001* - Radiation & Shielding Physics- Radiation Physics
Shielding Calculations & Experiments
420800 - Engineering- Electronic Circuits & Devices- (-1989)