IONIZING RADIATION EFFECTS
IN MOS OXIDES
By Timothy R. Oldham
The standard reference for radiation effects in MOS devices and oxides is the 1989 work Ionizing Radiation Effects in MOS Devices and Circuits, edited by T. P. Ma and P. V. Dressendorfer. Dr. Timothy R. Oldham, who co-authored one of the chapters of the book, has written a new book, Ionizing Radiation Effects in MOS Oxides. His new book provides a more up-to-date picture of radiation- induced defects and traps in MOS oxides, focusing on mechanisms and experimental observations that affect long-term damage, which is of vital importance for space applications.
Some of the topics addressed in the new work are thermally stimulated current measurements, which provide a different way to interpret internal defects than conventional C-V measurements; more recent ESR studies to identify oxide defects; and slow and fast border traps. Updated discussions of field oxides and oxide scaling are also included, along with an extensive discussion of mechanisms for interface traps, and a separate subsection on nitrided oxides.
The book’s three chapters consist of an introduction, which also serves to summarize the book and provide overall context, and separate chapters on radiation-induced oxide trapped charge and radiation-induced interface traps. It can be used as a stand-alone work, but it is primarily intended to supplement chapters 3 and 4 of the earlier work (edited by Ma and Dressendorfer). Dr. Oldham’s new book provides a very useful, authoritative update of radiation effects and related charge trapping phenomena in MOS oxides which have been the subject of numerous research studies during the past ten years.
Dr. Oldham received his BS from Michigan State University (1969), MS from American University (1975), and his Ph. D. from Catholic University of America (1982), all in Physics. He is currently chief of the Micro-Devices Branch at the Army Research Laboratory. He has authored or co-authored more than 25 papers at NSREC and served has as General Conference Chairman (1994), Guest Editor (1997-99), Technical Program Chairman (1990), and he is the Awards Chairman for 2001. He was recently elected Fellow of the IEEE.
Reviewed by: John F. Conley and Allan H. Johnston, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California.
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