Feasibility and equivalence analysis of transient dose rate effect simulation by pulsed laser in level-shifting transceiver and TCAD simulation on its ESD circuits

Abstract

Compared to linear accelerators, pulsed lasers have the characteristics of high efficiency, low cost, stable pulse output, and low environment interference for researching the transient dose rate effect (TDRE) on semiconductor devices. In this paper, pulsed laser radiation experiments are performed on a level-shifting transceiver. The experimental results are consistent with the results of the transient γ-ray radiation experiment, demonstrating the feasibility of using the pulsed laser in TDRE research on the level-shifting transceiver. This paper obtains theoretical and experimental conversion factors (CFs) through theoretical analysis and equivalency of the peak photocurrents, which are measured in pulsed laser and transient γ-ray radiation experiments. The CF results from the two approaches are within 7% of each other. In pulsed laser radiation experiments, an uncommon phenomenon is found. At the I/O (Input/Output) ports of the level-shifting transceiver, a trend of a positive photocurrent followed by a negative pulse is observed. A hypothesis is proposed that this photocurrent is produced by the turn-on and turn-off of the parasitic PNP (Positive-Negative-Positive) transistors in electrostatic discharge circuits at the level-shifting transceiver I/O ports. In addition, this hypothesis is verified by TCAD (Technology Computer Aided Design) simulations.