ABSTRACT
Electronic systems used in nuclear power plants, spacecraft, high-energy physics experiments, advanced medical equipment, and nuclear weapons have the potential for exposure of semiconductor devices and integrated circuits to extreme environments. This chapter introduces some of the basic concepts of the interaction of radiation with semiconductor devices. The primary effect of ionizing radiation on bipolar junction transistors is usually an increase in the base resulting from enhanced recombination in the emitter–base depletion region. Energetic radiation interacting with the crystal lattice of a semiconductor device can produce crystal defects which reduce minority carrier lifetime, change majority-carrier density, and reduce carrier mobility. The interaction of radiation with devices typically is quantified by the average deposited energy along a particle track. Understanding radiation effects in semiconductor devices is a complex and continually evolving challenge. With each change in the underlying technology, new effects appear and old models must be revised.
