ALPHA-PARTICLE SIMULATION OF SPACE RADIATION-DAMAGE EFFECTS IN SEMICONDUCTOR-DEVICES

We describe a method that uses an Am-241 alpha particle source to simu late effects of space radiation damage to semiconductor devices. By ap plying a unique combination of analytic and numerical techniques to da ta obtained from alpha irradiation experiments, device response to pro tons and other radiation types can be predicted. The techniques enable the interpretation of the alpha data by deriving the damage-depth pro files for both ionizing and nonionizing damage in InP devices. The res ults agree well when compared to the results from proton and electron irradiation of the same type of devices.