Electronic circuits used in many space, military, and nuclear power systems may be exposed to various levels and time profiles of neutron radiation. It is essential for the design and fabrication of such circuits that test methods be available that can determine the vulnerability or hardness (measure of nonvulnerability) of components to be used in them. A determination of hardness is often necessary for the short term (≈100 μs) as well as long term (permanent damage) following exposure. See Practice E722.

1. Scope

1.1 This guide defines the requirements and procedures for testing silicon discrete semiconductor devices and integrated circuits for rapid-annealing effects from displacement damage resulting from neutron radiation. This test will produce degradation of the electrical properties of the irradiated devices and should be considered a destructive test. Rapid annealing of displacement damage is usually associated with bipolar technologies.

1.1.1 Heavy ion beams can also be used to characterize displacement damage annealing (1) , but ion beams have significant complications in the interpretation of the resulting device behavior due to the associated ionizing dose. The use of pulsed ion beams as a source of displacement damage is not within the scope of this standard.

1.2 The values stated in SI units are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measurement are included in this standard.

1.3 This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to consult and establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.

2. Referenced Documents (purchase separately) The documents listed below are referenced within the subject standard but are not provided as part of the standard.

ASTM Standards

E264 Test Method for Measuring Fast-Neutron Reaction Rates by Radioactivation of Nickel

E265 Test Method for Measuring Reaction Rates and Fast-Neutron Fluences by Radioactivation of Sulfur-32

E666 Practice for Calculating Absorbed Dose From Gamma or X Radiation

E720 Guide for Selection and Use of Neutron Sensors for Determining Neutron Spectra Employed in Radiation-Hardness Testing of Electronics

E721 Guide for Determining Neutron Energy Spectra from Neutron Sensors for Radiation-Hardness Testing of Electronics

E722 Practice for Characterizing Neutron Fluence Spectra in Terms of an Equivalent Monoenergetic Neutron Fluence for Radiation-Hardness Testing of Electronics

E1854 Practice for Ensuring Test Consistency in Neutron-Induced Displacement Damage of Electronic Parts

E1855 Test Method for Use of 2N2222A Silicon Bipolar Transistors as Neutron Spectrum Sensors and Displacement Damage Monitors

E1894 Guide for Selecting Dosimetry Systems for Application in Pulsed X-Ray Sources

F1032 Guide for Measuring Time-Dependent Total-Dose Effects in Semiconductor Devices Exposed to Pulsed Ionizing Radiation (Discontinued 1994)

Keywords

annealing factor; annealing function; displacement damage; integrated circuits; neutron damage; neutron degradation; photoconducting device; rapid annealing; semiconductor devices; Annealing; Defects--semiconductors; Destructive testing--semiconductors; Displacement--electronic materials/applications; Electrical conductors (semiconductors); Electronic hardness; Integrated circuits; Neutron radiation; Pulsed neutron-radiation source; Radiation exposure--electronic components/devices; Radiation-hardness testing; Rapid annealing effects; Short-term damage; Vulnerability

ICS Code

Citing ASTM Standards

[Back to Top]