Turn-off time improvement by fast neutron irradiation on pnp Si Bipolar Junction Transistor

Long turn-off time limits high frequency operation of Bipolar Junction Transistors (BJTs). Turn-off time decreases with increases in the recombination rate of minority carriers at switching transients. Fast neutron irradiation on a Si BJT incurs lattice damages owing to the displacement of silicon atoms. The lattice damages increase the recombination rate of injected holes with electrons, and decrease the hole lifetime in the base region of pnp Si BJT. Fast neutrons generated from a beryllium target with 30 MeV protons by an MC-50 cyclotron were irradiated onto pnp Si BJTs in experiment. The experimental results show that the turn-off time, including the storage time and fall time, decreases with increases in fast neutron fluence. Additionally, it is confirmed that the base current increases, and the collector current and base-to-collector current amplification ratio decrease due to fast neutron irradiation.