Radiation effects in a BiCMOS LSI interface transceiver

The results are presented of a radiation-effect simulation in the 5559IN2T serial-data BiCMOS LSI interface transceiver. The circuit is found to have a fairly high level of radiation hardness: the performance parameters considered remain within the tolerance limits at equivalent dose rates of pulsed radiation up to P = 1 × 10 9 unit/s and at equivalent doses of steady-state radiation up to D = 2.4 × 10 5 units, and the circuit can operate at equivalent dose rates up to P = 2 × 10 10 unit/s over the temperature range −60 to +125°C. The physical mechanisms underlying the observed behavior are discussed. Analytical formulas are derived that represent the dose dependence of transceiver consumption current as a quadratic polynomial. They could be used to predict the resistance of the circuit to steady-state ionizing radiation.