Radiation Effects on Electronics in Aligned Carbon Nanotube Technology (RadCNT)

Characterizing the fundamental mechanisms and charge transport phenomena governing the interactions between ionizing and non-ionizing radiation with carbon-based (nanotube and graphene) field-effect transistors (FETs) devices and integrated circuits (ICs).

Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Fort Belvoir, Virginia

The main objective of the RadCNT program was the characterization of fundamental mechanisms and charge transport phenomena governing the interactions between ionizing and nonionizing radiation with carbon-based (nanotube and graphene) field-effect transistors (FETs) devices and integrated circuits (ICs). This effort was supported through the fabrication of aligned single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNT) FETs at the University of Southern California's (USC) Nanotechnology Research Laboratory and through a collaboration with the Naval Research Laboratories (NRL) for radiation testing and expertise in radiation effects characterization.

The RadCNT program concentrated on understanding total ionizing dose (TID) effects on SWCNT and graphene FETs. Several TID experiments with SWCNT and graphene FETs with various gate configurations, dielectric materials and geometries were performed as part of this effort. Well-known mechanisms of radiation-induced degradation in FETs such as oxide charge buildup were confirmed in SWCNT and graphene FETs through in situ measurements following radiation exposure. The effects of ionizing radiation on charge-injection mechanisms that cause gate hysteresis in carbon-based electronics were also investigated and demonstrated experimentally for the first time in aligned SWCNT FETs.