SPICE Simulation of Radiation Induced Charges and Currents in Silicon Substrate

Transistors downsizing has made CMOS circuits sensitive to errors and dysfunction caused by radiation even at ground level. For this reason, accurate modeling of radiation effects is important for circuits design. In this work, we present a new approach for SPICE compatible simulation of charges and currents induced by ionizing radiation in silicon substrate. The approach is based on the so-called Generalized Lumped Devices, that simulate charge generation, propagation and collection using standard circuit simulators, without empirical or fitting parameters. The study of the effects of alpha particles at different energies impinging on a substrate of an IC is presented and the results obtained are validated with TCAD numerical simulations. This paper represents the first step towards accurate physics-based SPICE simulation of ionizing radiation effects in ICs.