Multi-Scale Simulation of Radiation Effects in Electronic Devices

As integrated circuits become smaller and more complex, it has become increasingly difficult to simulate their responses to radiation. The distance and time scales of relevance extend over orders of magnitude, requiring a multi-scale, hierarchical simulation approach. This paper demonstrates the use of multi-scale simulations to examine two radiation-related problems: enhanced low-dose-rate sensitivity (ELDRS) in bipolar transistors and single-event effects (SEE) in CMOS integrated circuits. Examples are included that demonstrate how information can be passed from simulation tools operating at one level of abstraction to those operating at higher levels, while maintaining accuracy and gaining insight.