LOW- AND HIGH-ENERGY PROTON IRRADIATIONS OF STANDARD AND OXYGENATED SILICON DIODES

Oxygenated and standard (not oxygenated) silicon diodes processed by two different manufacturers (ST Microelectronics and Micron Semiconductor) have been irradiated by low (27 MeV) and high- (24 GeV) energy protons. The leakage current density increase rate (/spl alpha/) and its annealing do not show any significant dependence on oxygenation and are the same for both manufacturers. Oxygenation improves the radiation hardness by decreasing the acceptor introduction rate (/spl beta/) and mitigating the depletion voltage (V/sub dep/) increase. Nevertheless, standard ST diodes present /spl beta/ values lower than Micron standard devices and close to oxygenated devices, whose /spl beta/s are similar for both manufacturers. The amplitude of the V/sub dep/ reverse annealing is reduced by oxygenation, which in addition delays the electrically active defect increase, at least for high-energy protons. Oxygenation is consequently the best approach for silicon substrate radiation hardening.