Effect of ionizing radiation on quasi-floating gate transistors

Abstract

Low power and low voltage are key in modern design. The quasi-floating gate (QFG) has proven to be an adequate choice in numerous applications. However, so far, its use has not spread in high-radiation environments because of the lack of studies on the performance of this technique under radiation. This work addresses the effect of ionizing radiation in the QFG transistor. To this end, a specific DUT has been designed and irradiated up to 2,25 Mrad. The experimental results show a tolerable reduction in the equivalent resistivity of the pseudoresistor (a reverse biased n-well PN junction). The effect is due to the increase in the reverse saturation current of the diode present between the pseudoresistor’s terminals, which is consistent with Displacement Damage Dose (DDD).