Transient radiation effects in CMOS structures related to geometrical dimensions and nuclear radiation pulse forms

Theoretical and experimental investigations and SPICE simulations of transient radiation effects in CMOS structures are described. The effects of thin wells and substrates on photocurrents are treated theoretically and verified experimentally. The irradiation experiments were carried out using a pulsed 4-MeV electron accelerator. In addition circuit parameters are measured using electrical methods. The results indicate that the dimensions of the structure have a significant influence on the shape of generated photocurrent pulses. An application to compound nuclear radiation pulses, simulating a realistic nuclear event, shows that latchup turn-on is correlated with the leading edge of the radiation pulse, while the appearance of a long tail on the photocurrent pulse may influence the upset behavior of a circuit