The effects of gamma irradiation on neutron displacement sensitivity of lateral PNP bipolar transistors

The effects of gamma irradiation on neutron displacement sensitivity of four types of lateral PNP bipolar transistors (LPNPs) with different neutral base widths, emitter widths and the doping concentrations of the epitaxial base region are studied. The physical mechanisms of the effects are explored by defect analysis using deep level transient spectroscopy (DLTS) techniques and numerical simulations of recombination process in the base region of the lateral PNP bipolar transistors, and are verified by the experiments on gate-controlled lateral PNP bipolar transistors (GCLPNPs) manufactured in the identical commercial bipolar process with different gate bias voltage. The results indicate that gamma irradiation increases neutron displacement damage sensitivity of lateral PNP bipolar transistors and the mechanism of this phenomenon is that positive charge induced by gamma irradiation enhances the recombination process in the defects induced by neutrons in the base region, leading to larger recombination component of base current and greater gain degradation.