New Radiation-Hardened Design of a CMOS Instrumentation Amplifier and its Tolerant Characteristic Analysis
New Radiation-Hardened Design of a CMOS Instrumentation Amplifier and its Tolerant Characteristic Analysis
复制标题
DOI：
10.3390/electronics9030388
复制
发表时间：
2020-03-01
期刊：
影响因子：
2.9
通讯作者：
Kim, Jongyeol
中科院分区：
文献类型：
--
作者：
Lee, Minwoong;Cho, Seongik;Kim, Jongyeol
设计并制造了一种抗辐射仪表放大器（IA），可在核电站、空间环境和放射治疗室等辐射环境中进行精确测量，并对其特性进行了验证。目前，大多数电子系统都是使用硅基互补金属氧化物半导体（CMOS）集成电路（IC）来设计的，以实现高度集成的低功耗设计。然而，通过电离辐射在硅中感应的固定电荷引起各种负面影响，导致例如电路中漏电流的产生、性能劣化和故障。鉴于辐射环境中的这些问题可能直接导致生命损失或环境污染，因此实施抗辐射CMOS IC技术至关重要。在这项研究中，IA用于放大传感器的精细信号的设计和制造的0.18 μ m CMOS体工艺。IA包含子电路，可确保实现片上系统（SoC）解决方案所需的稳定电压供应。它还配备了特殊的抗辐射技术，采用了一个I-栅极n-MOSFET，阻止辐射引起的泄漏电流。其IC经验证可在总累积剂量高达25 kGy（Si）后提供预期性能，确保其在辐射环境中的安全性。
A radiation-hardened instrumentation amplifier (IA) that allows precise measurement in radiation environments, including nuclear power plants, space environments, and radiation therapy rooms, was designed and manufactured, and its characteristics were verified. Most electronic systems are currently designed using silicon-based complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) integrated circuits (ICs) to achieve a highly integrated low-power design. However, fixed charges induced in silicon by ionization radiation cause various negative effects, resulting in, for example, the generation of leakage current in circuits, performance degradation, and malfunction. Given that such problems in radiation environments may directly lead to a loss of life or environmental contamination, it is critical to implement radiation-hardened CMOS IC technology. In this study, an IA used to amplify fine signals of the sensors was designed and fabricated in the 0.18 mu m CMOS bulk process. The IA contained sub-circuits that ensured the stable voltage supply needed to implement system-on-chip (SoC) solutions. It was also equipped with special radiation-hardening technology by applying an I-gate n-MOSFET that blocks the radiation-induced leakage currents. Its ICs were verified to provide the intended performance following a total cumulative dose of up to 25 kGy(Si), ensuring its safety in radiation environments.