1/f noise and oxide traps in MOSFETS

Comparative studies of the 1/f noise and radiation response of MOS transistors strongly suggest that similar point defects are responsible for their 1/f noise and radiation-induced oxide-trap charge buildup. A prime candidate for this common defect has been identified in radiation effects studies as an E' (E-prime) center, which is a trivalent Si center in SiO2 associated with a simple oxygen vacancy. Thus, methods to reduce the number of vacancies in the SiO2 layer of MOS technologies can dramatically reduce the 1/f noise of irradiated or unirradiated MOS devices MOSFETs built with radiation-hardened process techniques show 1/f noise levels approaching the low levels of JFETs. 1/f noise measurements can also be used to predict the oxide-trap charge buildup in MOS electronics in radiation environments, such as those encountered in many military, nuclear reactor, high-energy accelerator, and satellite and spacecraft environments. Using ''radiation-hardened'' circuits and devices in these applications can dramatically improve the performance of analog MOS electronics