Total dose effects on bipolar integrated circuits: characterization of the saturation region

The total-dose response of bipolar microcircuits is investigated. A recovery of the degradation is observed for high total dose in the saturation region. The circuit response in this region is studied based on room temperature annealing. The role of the electric feld is studied and the results are discussed in terms of hardness assurance. Index Terms--Bipolar transistor, device characterization, dose rate, hardness assurance, linear microcircuit, saturation region, total dose.