Monte-Carlo simulation of the dynamic behavior of a CMOS inverter struck by a heavy ion

We present a theoretical study using Monte-Carlo simulation of the behavior of a CMOS inverter struck by an ionizing particle. The inverter is made of two complementary enhancement-mode MOSFETs according to a SIMOX self-aligned technology with an effective gate length of 0.35 μm. The effect of the ionizing particle (heavy ion) is simulated by electron-hole pairs generation with an energy of 1 eV for each carrier. We studied the return to the steady-state of the device after a transient irradiation. Either the P-channel transistor or the N-channel transistor is irradiated, and the gate operating is considered in both cases of 0 V and 5 V input voltage. The irradiation of the off-state transistors induces a significant transient variation of the output voltage whereas irradiation of the on-state transistors has weak effects on the output. The return to the stationary regime, which is reached after about 50 ps in all irradiation cases, is achieved by evacuation of the carriers in excess through the different electrodes without trapping effect in the device