Abstract: Radiation effects and reliability issues are important for microelectronic devices and integrated circuits in space and other harsh environments. Significant issues include total ionizing dose (TID) and single-event effects (SEE) in microelectronics. In this talk, an overview will be presented of the space radiation environment. Radiation effects and reliability degradation in several technologies of current interest will be discussed, as well as risk mitigation strategies. Examples will include TID and SEE effects in silicon and germanium based FinFETs with high-K dielectrics; irradiation and highfield stress effects in GaN-based HEMTs; and charge trapping in graphene-based transistors. The importance of device architecture and defects will be emphasized.
Bio: Dr. Enxia Zhang earned her Ph.D. degree in electrical engineering from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and M.S. degree in material science and engineering from Nanjing University of Science & Technology, China. Since 2009 she has been at Vanderbilt University. She is currently a research associate professor of electrical engineering and of material science and engineering. Her current research interests include the reliability and radiation response of (1) advanced microelectronic devices and ICs based on silicon, compound semiconductors, and two-dimensional materials, (2) photonic devices, (3) radio frequency devices and ICs, and (4) MEMS/NEMS. Characterization of defects and their effects on the performance, reliability, and radiation response of emerging materials and devices for space applications is an area of particular emphasis. Dr. Zhang has published more than 200 peer-reviewed journal articles that have been cited more than 4500 times and have been recognized with numerous awards. Enxia has also received the 2022 IEEE NPSS Women in Engineering leadership travel award and the 2022-2023 Vanderbilt ECE teaching award.
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