SEGR - A UNIQUE FAILURE MODE FOR POWER MOSFETS IN SPACECRAFT

Power MOSFETs are vulnerable to catastrophic single-event phenomena wh en exposed to the radiation environment of space. In particular, singl e-event-gate-rupture (SEGR) is a failure mechanism unique to DMOS powe r transistors caused by the passage of a heavy ion through the neck re gion of the device and the subsequent transient electric field across the gate oxide. This paper will describe the failure mode, present sup porting experimental data, and demonstrate an effective simulation too l for predicting gate rupture. Copyright (C) 1996 Elsevier Science Ltd