Paul joined Sandia National Laboratories in 1993 as a postdoctoral researcher in the Radiation Technology and Assurance department led by Peter Winokur, and became a Senior Member of Technical Staff in the department in 1994. Since arriving at Sandia, Paul has performed leading-edge research to expand the understanding of the fundamental physics behind ion-induced charge collection and single-event upset (SEU) in microelectronics. He was among the first in the radiation effects community to apply full three-dimensional (3D) device simulation to studying single-event effects. His numerical studies of the physical mechanisms involved in single-event effects have encompassed the effects of circuit loading on SEU, the effect of ion energy on SEU, and the impact of technology trends on SEU to determine if new failure mechanisms will beset future electronics. Paul has consistently been an advocate for the importance of code validation, which has led to the development and use of innovative experimental techniques such as time-resolved ion- beam-induced charge collection using focused ion microbeams. To further push the limits of single-event upset simulation, Paul developed and used a customized version of a mixed-level device/circuit simulator to directly calculate upset maps and cross section curves in CMOS integrated circuits (ICs). These pioneering simulations enabled vastly improved validation against experimental data, and are a step toward the ability to simulate the response of entire circuits rather than just a few transistors. The simulations also provided basic physical insight into the shape of the upset cross-section curve used to calculate mission error rates for ICs operating in the natural space environment.

Paul is a core member of the team at Sandia responsible for developing radiation-hardened CMOS process technologies. His development of validated and predictive models for radiation effects is a crucial part of Sandia's strategy for meeting technical and programmatic goals for radiation-hardened CMOS technologies. These simulations allow the optimization of both process and design parameters in order to maximize performance and manufacturability prior to obtaining first silicon and are advancing the state-of-the-art in radiation-hardened microelectronics. Recently, Paul's research has focused on radiation effects in silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technologies. He was a co-inventor of the BUSFET, a patented body-tied SOI transistor structure that is designed to be total-dose hard without the need for specially-hardened SOI substrates. Paul has explored the performance of SOI devices in heavy ion environments using a powerful combination of focused ion microbeam experiments, 3D numerical simulations, and broadbeam heavy ion accelerator testing. For example, his focused ion microbeam experiments confirmed the presence of ion-induced snapback in single-transistor SOI test structures, and found that the drain voltage required for snapback to occur was the same whether snapback was initiated electrically or using heavy ions. This important result implied that electrical testing may be an accurate screen for ion-induced snapback, and also that commercial SOI circuits not specifically designed for space environments may not exhibit snapback because they must be designed to operate reliably during electrical stimulation. Paul also recently discovered a new charge-collection mechanism in SOI devices that can lead to much larger than expected SEU-sensitive volumes in SOI ICs. This mechanism may increase the SEU-sensitive area (and hence the error rate) in some SOI ICs by as much as a factor of ten, significantly decreasing the SEU advantages of SOI ICs compared to their bulk silicon counterparts.

Paul has authored or co-authored more than 40 peer-reviewed publications, including papers that won the 1997, 2000, and 2001 Nuclear and Space Radiation Effects Conference (NSREC) Outstanding Conference Paper Awards. He is a Senior Member of the IEEE, and a member of the Nuclear and Plasma Sciences and Electron Device Societies. Paul has served the radiation effects community as Publicity Chairman, Session Chairman, Awards Committee member, Short Course Instructor, and Short Course Chairman for the IEEE NSREC, and has been a Session Chairman for the Single-Event Effects Symposium and the European RADECS Conference. He will serve as Technical Program Chairman of the 2003 IEEE NSREC. Paul has also served the IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting as a member of the Modeling and Simulation Technical Subcommittee and Session Chairman.

Paul will receive his award at the 2002 IEEE NSREC in Phoenix, Arizona. His citation reads: "For contributions to the understanding and simulation of physical mechanisms responsible for single-event effects in spaceborne microelectronics."

Paul E. Dodd is currently Technical Team Leader for the Radiation Physics, Simulation, and Technology Department at Sandia National Laboratories. He can be reached at Sandia National Laboratories, P.O. Box 5800, MS-1083, Albuquerque, NM 87185-1083; Phone: +1 505 844-1447; Fax: +1 505 844-2991; E-mail: pedodd@sandia.gov