An Increase in TDDB Lifetime of Partially Depleted SOI Devices Induced by Proton Irradiation

The effects of proton irradiation on the subsequent time-dependent dielectric breakdown (TDDB) of partially depleted SOI devices are experimentally investigated. It is demonstrated that heavy-ion irradiation will induce the decrease of TDDB lifetime for many device types, but we are amazed to find a measurable increase in the TDDB lifetime and a slight decrease in the radiation-induced leakage current after proton irradiation at the nominal operating irradiation bias. We interpret these results and mechanisms in terms of the effects of radiation-induced traps on the stressing current during the reliability testing, which may be significant to expand the understanding of the radiation effects of the devices used in the proton radiation environment.