PULSED LASER-INDUCED SINGLE EVENT UPSET AND CHARGE COLLECTION MEASUREMENTS AS A FUNCTION OF OPTICAL PENETRATION DEPTH

We use picosecond laser pulses to investigate single event upsets and related fundamental charge collection mechanisms in semiconductor micr oelectronic devices and circuits. By varying the laser wavelength the incident laser pulses deposit charge tracks of variable length, which form an approximation to the charge tracks resulting from high energy space particle strikes. We show how variation of the charge track leng th deposited by laser pulses allows the mechanisms of charge collectio n in semiconductor devices to be probed in a sensitive manner. With th e aid of computer simulations, new insight into charge collection mech anisms for metal-semiconductor field effect transistor (MESFET) device s and heterojunction bipolar transistor devices is found. In the case of the MESFET we point out the correlation between charge collection i n the device and the ensuing single event upset in the composite circu it. In favorable cases, we show how probing circuits with tunable lase r pulses can estimate a charge collection depth, which is a circuit pa rameter important for the prediction of error rates for circuits opera ting in a space-radiation environment. (C) 1998 American Institute of Physics. [S0021-8979(95)00714-2]