Proton Tolerance of SiGe Precision Voltage References for Extreme Temperature Range Electronics

• Published in: IEEE transactions on nuclear science Vol. 53; no. 6; pp. 3210 - 3216
• Main Authors: Najafizadeh, L., Bellini, M., Prakash, A.P.G., Espinel, G.A., Cressler, J.D., Marshall, P.W., Marshall, C.J.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York IEEE 01.12.2006; The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Inc. (IEEE)
• Subjects: BiCMOS analog integrated circuits; Circuits; CMOS technology; Electric potential; Extreme environments; Germanium silicon alloys; heterojuction bipolar transistors; Heterojunction bipolar transistors; Moon; News; Proton irradiation; proton radiation effects; Protons; Silicon germanides; Silicon germanium; Space technology; Temperature distribution; Tolerances; Voltage
• ISSN: 0018-9499; 1558-1578
• DOI: 10.1109/TNS.2006.885381

A comprehensive investigation of the effects of proton irradiation on the performance of SiGe BiCMOS precision voltage references intended for extreme environment operational conditions is presented. The voltage reference circuits were designed in two distinct SiGe BiCMOS technology platforms (first generation (50 GHz) and third generation (200 GHz)) in order to investigate the effect of technology scaling. The circuits were irradiated at both room temperature and at 77 K. Measurement results from the experiments indicate that the proton-induced changes in the SiGe bandgap references are minor, even down to cryogenic temperatures, clearly good news for the potential application of SiGe mixed-signal circuits in emerging extreme environments