4 Irradiation Facility and Setup

The heavy-ion species used for the SEE studies on this product were provided and delivered by the Texas A&M University (TAMU) Cyclotron Radiation Effects Facility [4], using a superconducting cyclotron and advanced electron cyclotron resonance (ECR) ion source. At the fluxes used, ion beams had good flux stability and high-irradiation uniformity over a 1-in diameter circular cross-sectional area for the in-air station. Uniformity is achieved by means of magnetic defocusing. The flux of the beam is regulated over a broad range spanning several orders of magnitude. For the bulk of these studies ion fluxes between 10⁴ and 10⁵ ions/cm²-s were used to provide a heavy-ion fluences between 10⁶ and 10⁷ ions/cm².

For these experiments Argon (⁴⁰Ar), Copper (⁶³Cu), Krypton (⁸⁴Kr), and Silver (¹⁰⁷Ag) were used. Angles were used to increment the LET_EFF, details are provided in Section 5. Ion beam uniformity for all tests was in the range of 88 to 97%.

Figure 4-1 shows the TRF0208-SEP mounted on the TRF0208SEP-EVM board in front of the beam exit port, as in the heavy-ion characterization. The beam port has a 1-mil Aramica (Kevlar®), 1-in diameter to allow in-air testing while maintaining the vacuum in the accelerator with only minor ion energy losses. The air space between the device-under-test (DUT) and the beam exit port was set to 40 mm (most used) and 60 mm.

The data recorded in this report was based on finalized EVM boards with optimized component values that follow data sheet recommendations.

Figure 4-1 Decapped TRF0208-SEP Evaluation Board Mounted in Front of the Heavy-Ion Beam Exit Port