| dc.description.abstract | Single Event Effects (SEE’s) are a common phenomenon in high-altitude semiconductors applications. SEE’s are primarily caused by a single ionizing particle, in this case, a heavy-ion striking a single transistor within the Integrated Circuit (IC), causing irregular behavior or device operation. In space environments, high-energy ionizing particles have the potential to jeopardize a mission due to critical computer failure as well as introducing undesirable device operations. SEE’s become more common and critical with new semiconductor designs that have a higher transistor density, as the ionizing particle has a greater probability of interacting with a single transistor. Currently, companies such as Texas Instruments Inc. test the effects of high-energy ionized particle strikes on new integrated circuit designs using the Texas A&M Cyclotron Institute K500 beamline.
During the debugging process, specific sections of the DUT must be evaluated with the particle beam, while the remaining portion of the DUT is shielded. The current solution is tedious, inaccurate, and not well understood, resulting in wasted critical reactor time. The current research project describes a system that increases the accuracy of transistor targeting, improves radiation beam diameter reduction, and reduces setup time. The system described was developed in close collaboration with a parallel project providing microscopy and precision alignment. | |
