Radiation-Hard Complementary Integrated Circuits Based on Semiconducting Single-Walled Carbon Nanotubes

Area of Science:

• Materials Science
• Electrical Engineering
• Semiconductor Physics

Background:

• Semiconducting single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) are maturing for next-generation electronics.
• Organic materials enable stable SWCNT-based complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) logic circuits with low power consumption.
• Investigating SWCNT-CMOS performance in extreme environments is crucial for advanced applications.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the total ionizing dose (TID) effects on enhancement-mode SWCNT-CMOS inverters utilizing organic doping and encapsulation.
• To identify the most sensitive components within the SWCNT-CMOS architecture under radiation exposure.
• To explore radiation-hardening strategies for improving SWCNT-CMOS stability.

Main Methods:

• In situ and in operando measurements were employed to analyze device transport properties.
• Total ionizing dose (TID) testing was performed on SWCNT-CMOS inverters with organic components.
• Dynamic bias operation was investigated as a radiation-hardening approach.

Main Results:

• N-type transistors were found to be more sensitive to TID, exhibiting over an order of magnitude greater degradation in static power dissipation compared to other components.
• SWCNT-CMOS circuits demonstrated significant stability under dynamic bias operation, indicating radiation hardness.
• Organic doping and encapsulation layers contributed to the overall stability of the devices.

Conclusions:

• SWCNT-CMOS technology can be employed for radiation-hard integrated circuits, particularly under dynamic bias conditions.
• The findings highlight the potential of SWCNT-CMOS for demanding applications in satellite and space environments.
• Further optimization of organic materials and device design can enhance radiation tolerance for extreme conditions.