Simulated space radiation effects on power MOSFETs in switching power supplies

Author

Wahle, Peter J. ; Schrimpf, Ronald D. ; Galloway, Kenneth F.

Author_Institution

Dept. of Electr. & Comput. Eng., Arizona Univ., Tucson, AZ, USA

fYear

1989

fDate

1-5 Oct. 1989

Firstpage

1221

Abstract

The application of power MOSFETs in spaceborne power converters was simulated by exposing switched devices to low-dose-rate ionizing radiation. Both radiation-hardened and nonradiation-hardened devices were tested. The results were compared to those obtained at higher dose rates and with constant gate bias. The primary effects of ionizing radiation on power MOSFETs are changes in the threshold voltage and degradation of mobility. These effects result in slower switching speeds and reduced drive capability. Both threshold shift and mobility degradation were found to depend on bias conditions and dose rate. Therefore, in order to predict device behavior, both the radiation environment and operating conditions must be taken into account.<>

Keywords

aerospace instrumentation; insulated gate field effect transistors; ion beam effects; power convertors; power transistors; space vehicle power plants; switched mode power supplies; gate bias; low-dose-rate ionizing radiation; mobility degradation; power MOSFET; space radiation effects; spaceborne power converters; switching power supplies; threshold voltage; Computational modeling; Degradation; Ionizing radiation; MOSFETs; Power supplies; Radiation effects; Space technology; Switching converters; Testing; Threshold voltage;

fLanguage

English

Publisher

ieee

Conference_Titel

Industry Applications Society Annual Meeting, 1989., Conference Record of the 1989 IEEE

Conference_Location

San Diego, CA, USA

Type

conf

DOI

10.1109/IAS.1989.96799

Filename

96799