A Framework for Understanding Displacement Damage Mechanisms in Irradiated Silicon Devices

A framework is presented for understanding carrier generation and recombination mechanisms in irradiated silicon devices. Data obtained by many workers for irradiated bulk material and devices are analyzed and summarized, and key damage-factor dependences are identified. Measurements, simulations, and analyses support the conclusion that correlation of displacement damage effects with the rate of nonionizing energy loss (NIEL) for proton, neutron, pion, and heavy-ion bombardment is due to the dominant influence of defect subclusters. At low NIEL values (<5times10^-5 MeV-cm²/g), isolated defects dominate the electrical properties. At relatively high NIEL (>2times10^-4 MeV-cm²/g), subclusters dominate. Enhanced carrier generation and recombination produced by those small disordered regions is considered. Modeling results are presented for behavior observed in the transition region between domination by isolated defects and by clusters. The model presented in this paper simultaneously accommodates defect cluster models and NIEL scaling phenomena in the same framework