Establishment of a Radiation Hardened CMOS Manufacturing Process

A radiation hardened metal gate CMOS IC process, tolerant to doses in excess of 106 rads (Si), has been established by making necessary modifications to a standard process. These modifications are described, a definition of circuit radiation hardness is discussed, and typical electrical performance characteristics as a function of radiation dose are presented. Procedures are described for assuring the hardness of finished product. Operating life test data indicates that the process is inherently reliable.