VLSI microelectronics research

The performance advantages of ultra-thin silicon-on-insulator (SOI) make it especially attractive for space applications, but the sensitivity of the back silicon/oxide interface to interface state generation will degrade the radiation hardness of the metal oxide semiconductor field effect transistors (MOSFET's). The two reported experimental techniques for extracting the distribution of back interface states from observed drain current-gate-source-voltage characteristics of fully depleted SOI MOSFET's as the substrate voltage is varied, result in similar extracted values for D(sub itb) as a function of bandgap energy for fully depleted n-and p-MOSFETs. Using these techniques, the radiation hardness of the back SOI interface can be assessed for space applications.