Nanoscale Characterization of Radiation Effects

Microelectronic components in aerospace applications can be subjected to damaging radiation doses during normal operation. Radiation hardness is commonly assessed in the laboratory by irradiating an entire component and performing electrical testing. Sometimes this analysis is supplemented with destructive post-mortem sectioning and imaging. Existing methodologies reveal few details about how irradiation changes the device’s electronic structure – and thus function – at the nanoscale. Even with the aid of modeling and simulation, the actionable conclusions drawn are thus, at best, tentative. In this Phase I project, NanoElectronic Imaging, Inc. (NEI) will demonstrate a technique for locally probing a device’s electrical response to irradiation at high spatial-resolution, bridging the gap between nanoscale and device-level effects. Electro-Optic/Infrared (EO/IR) components will be imaged with NEI's Scanning Transmission Electron Microscope (STEM) electron beam-induced current (EBIC) system, with the focused electron beam itself acting as both the imaging probe and the radiation source. The TEM's electron beam (beta particles of up to 300 keV energy) is scanned across the sample with sub-nanometer precision while EBIC generates contrast directly related to a device’s electronic function. Code will be developed to analyze datasets and produce “heat maps” associating local device features with radiation-induced electronic changes, providing actionable data about local radiation sensitivity. Approved for Public Release | 22-MDA-11215 (27 Jul 22)