Radiation strength of magnetosensitive silicon transistors

The effects of penetrating radiation on the magnetosensitivity of transistors exposed to fast electrons and gamma radiation from a Co-60 source are experimentally studied. The results indicate that double-collector magnetotransistors are quite resistant to radiation, and that their magnetosensitivity can be enhanced by exposing them to appropriate amounts of electron or gamma radiation. It is shown that the sensitivity depends on the properties of the material (in particular, the carrier lifetime) and on the change in the effective length of the base and the redistribution of the emitter-injected carriers between the collectors in the presence of an external magnetic field.