NDLI: Effect of Space Radiation on the Leakage Current of MEMS Insulators

Content Provider	IEEE Xplore Digital Library
Author	Patton, S.T. Frasca, A.J. Talnagi, J.W. Hyman, D.J. Phillips, B.S. Jones, J.G. Vaia, R.A. Voevodin, A.A.
Copyright Year	1963
Abstract	The effect of space radiation on the reliability of microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) devices is an important consideration for future upper atmosphere and space applications. MEMS capacitors with insulator materials of silicon nitride (Si₃N₄), silicon oxide (SiO₂), and ultrananocrystalline diamond (UNCD) were selected for radiation and leakage current studies. Leakage current was used as a measure of insulator performance and reliability, and is suggested here as a method to detect charge trapping, which also affects reliability. UNCD capacitors were orders of magnitude leakier than Si₃N₄ and SiO₂, with Si₃N₄ being leakier than SiO₂. SiO₂ devices exhibited unstable leakage current with accumulated electric field stress, and were not utilized in radiation studies. Si₃N₄ capacitors exhibited leakage current decay (with a time constant of 190 s) under constant voltage stress above 2 MV/cm due to charge injection from the electrodes and trapping in the insulator. Si₃N₄ and UNCD capacitors were more sensitive to ionizing gamma radiation than to displacement damage from fast neutrons. Both Si₃N₄ and UNCD devices survived total doses of radiation representative of 20-100 years in the Van Allen radiation belts with 4 mm Al equivalent shielding. Capacitor equivalent circuit and resistor capacitor (RC) circuit charging models are developed to explain leakage current behavior of Si₃N₄ capacitors subjected to constant voltage stress and/or irradiation. In situ monitoring of Si₃N₄ capacitors placed next to the nuclear reactor core did not yield any single event effects at electric field strength of 1 MV/cm with a fast neutron fluence of 2×10¹² n/cm². Si₃N₄ MEMS capacitors appear best suited for upper atmosphere and space applications with their relatively low leakage current (low power consumption) and apparent radiation hardness.
Sponsorship	IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society Computer Applications in Nuclear and Plasma Sciences (CANPS) Lawrence Berkeley Lab. Lawrence Livermore Nat. Lab. APS College of William and Mary Continuous Electron Beam Accelerator Facility NASA Defence Nuclear Agency Sandia National Laboratories Jet Propulsion Laboratory Brookhaven Nat. Lab. Lawrence Livermore Nat. Lab IEEE/NPPS Radiat. Effects Committee Defence Nuclear Agency/DoD Sandia National Laboratories/DOE Jet Propulsion Laboratory/NASA Phillips Lab./DoD
Starting Page	3074
Ending Page	3083
Page Count	10
File Size	1102484
File Format	PDF
ISSN	00189499
Volume Number	60
Issue Number	4
Language	English
Publisher	Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
Publisher Date	2013-01-01
Publisher Place	U.S.A.
Access Restriction	One Nation One Subscription (ONOS)
Rights Holder	Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
Subject Keyword	Leakage currents Capacitors Silicon Micromechanical devices Neutrons Current measurement Insulators space radiation Charge trapping leakage current microelectromechanical devices reliability testing
Content Type	Text
Resource Type	Article
Subject	Nuclear and High Energy Physics Electrical and Electronic Engineering Nuclear Energy and Engineering

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