R and D project for a Geant4-based, multi-scale simulation environment to study the radiation effects on electronic devices

Since the 70's, it has been found that electronic devices present on satellites can be affected by radiation damage. This phenomenon can also be observed in other domains as for high energy physics experiments. To evaluate the radiation sensitivity of devices present within complex radiation fields. Monte Carlo simulations are needed to complement the information achievable experimentally and to gain understanding of the underlying physical origin of the device degradation. Various simulation systems exist, which can be used in their respective domains (e.g. Geant4 to simulate particle interactions with matter; Synopsis TCAD to study the charge transport into semiconductors and Spice for analyzing the circuit response), but no open source tool exists yet, where the various components would co-work within one complete simulation environment. A new research strategy is envisaged to develop a comprehensive simulation tool including a new library in the Geant4 toolkit for the characterization of the radiation response of electronic devices. It involves the improvement and extension of Geant4 physics capability, the design of interfaces to semiconductor physics simulation tools (e.g. Synopsis TCAD) for charge transport in the devices, and the development of applicative software components to analyze and predict their radiation response. (author)