Pioneering Evaluation of GaN Transistors in Geostationary Satellites

In this paper, we present the results of a 6-year experiment in space that studied the effects of radiation in GaN electronics in geostationary orbit. Four GaN transistors in a Colpitts oscillator configuration were flown in the Component Technology Test-Bed aboard the Alphasat telecommunication satellite. A heuristic analysis was performed by observing the variation in the power output of the oscillators with the total ionizing dose gathered during the mission. The total ionizing dose was measured with a RADFET placed close to the GaN devices. The experiment showed that GaN is a robust technology that can be used in the space radiation environment of a geostationary orbit. The work presented here starts with a brief introduction of the subject, the motivation and the main goal. This is followed by the description of the experimental setup, including the details of the oscillator design and simulations, as well as the implementation of the test bead and the Components Technology Test Bed. Finally, the results obtained during the 6 years of experience in space are discussed.

Research on Total Ionizing Dose Effect and Reinforcement of SOI-TFET

Since the oxide/source overlap structure can improve the tunneling probability and on-state current of tunneling field effect transistor (TFET) devices, and the silicon-on-insulator (SOI) structure has the effect of resisting the single event effect, SOI-TFET with the oxide/source overlap structure is a device with development potential. The total ionizing dose (TID) effect on SOI-TFET was studied by discussing the switching ratio, band–band tunneling rate, threshold voltage, sub-threshold swing and bipolar effect of the device under different doses of irradiation. At the same time, simulations prove that selecting the proper thickness of the buried oxide (BOX) layer can effectively reduce the influence of the TID effect. This provides a way of direction and method for research on the irradiation effects on the device in the future.