Improved Prediction Model of Ion-Induced Worst-Case Response in Power Devices

This study investigates the worst-case Single-Event Effect (SEE) response in semiconductor
power devices induced by energetic ions. An existing predictive model is refined and extended to potentially
consider various semiconductor materials, other geometries and technologies. Comprehensive expressions
for predicting critical ion energies that lead to worst-case SEE response in semiconductor power devices are
obtained through computational simulations. A dedicated experiment is conducted to investigate the model
validity and accuracy in describing additional destructive failure mechanisms in silicon transistors, beyond
a traditional technology.