Publications Details
Space charge limited degradation of bipolar oxides at low electric-fields
Radiation-induced degradation of many types of bipolar transistors and circuits is more severe following low dose rate exposure than following high dose rate exposure. Since microelectronic devices in space are generally subjected to low dose rate irradiation, this complicates the hardness assurance testing of linear circuits and can lead to an overestimation of device lifetime in space. Previous work examining the physical mechanisms responsible for this dose rate effect has focused primarily on oxide trapped charge. Reduced net positive oxide trapped charge densities at high dose rates and zero bias have been attributed to space charge effects from slowly transporting holes trapped metastably at O vacancy complexes. Decreasing the dose rate or increasing the irradiation temperature leads to an increase in net positive oxide trapped charge near the Si-SiO{sub 2} interface by reducing these space charge effects. In this work, concentrations of hydrogen transport through two types of bipolar oxides are estimated from dopant passivation measurements in MOS capacitors. For unbiased irradiations, hydrogen passivation of substrate acceptors is greatly reduced at high dose rates compared to that at low dose rates or elevated temperatures. Consistent with other widely accepted models, it is argued that fewer interface traps are formed by high dose rate irradiation under zero bias, because fewer H{sup +} ions can drift to the Si-SiO{sub 2} interface and react with trap precursors. Similar to hole transport in these oxides, drift of the H{sup +} ions is inhibited at high dose rates by space charge accumulated in the oxide bulk.