Response of Integrated Silicon Microwave pin Diodes to X-Ray and Fast-Neutron Irradiation.

Integrated silicon microwave pin diodes are exposed to 10-keV X-rays up to a dose of 2 Mrad(SiO2) and 14-MeV fast neutrons up to a fluence of $2.2\,\,\boldsymbol {\times }\,\,10\,\,^{\mathrm{ 13}}$ cm−2. Changes in both dc leakage current and small-signal circuit components are examined. Degradation in performance due to total-ionizing dose (TID) is shown to be suppressed by non-quasi-static (NQS) effects during radio frequency (RF) operation. Tolerance to displacement damage from fast neutrons is also observed, which is explained using technology computer-aided design (TCAD) simulations. Overall, the characterized pin diodes are tolerant to cumulative radiation at levels consistent with space applications such as geosynchronous weather satellites. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]