Alpha Particle- and Neutron-Induced Single-Event Effects in COTS Power FETS

Alpha particles are one of the most abundant species in the space radiation environment, whereas neutrons are the main component of the radiation field on Earth. Few studies have been published for alpha particle- and neutron-induced Single-Event Effects (SEEs) in UMOSFETs, the current main candidate to supplant the traditional DMOSFET technology, and in the state-of-the-art GaN-on-Si HEMTs. In this work, experimental results of SEEs induced by an
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Am alpha particle source and quasi mono-energetic fast neutrons provided by a Deuteron-Tritium (DT) neutron generator in Si-containing COTS power FETs are presented. By comparing the SEE response of a DMOSFET and UMOSFET under alpha particle irradiation, the main aspects of the ion-induced charge collection mechanisms in a UMOSFET are investigated. The DT neutron-induced SEE responses of DMOSFET, UMOSFET, and GaN-on-Si HEMT are compared to the charge spectrum of a fully depleted silicon surface barrier detector.