Literature review on

Operation of MEMS based

devices in space

Felix Lu
Duke University
January 18, 2007
http://www.sandia.gov/mstc/images/galileo.gif
From wikipedia
 Outline
• Motivation and background
• Radiation types and effects
• Radiation testing
• Effects on materials
• Effects on Devices
• Examples
• Mitigation techniques
• Summary http://see.msfc.nasa.gov/pf/pf.htm

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 Background & Components
• Radiation
– Degrades electrical and optical components
– Induces noise in detectors
– Induces errors and latch-ups in digital circuits
– Builds up charge in insulators
– Harmful to organisms

MEMS based device components MEMS based systems include:

include: -Inertial navigation
- Mechanical properties of semiconductors - Bolometers
- Electrically insulating oxides - RF switches and Variable capacitors
- P-n junctions - Optical switching and communications
- Oxides for optical fibers - Propulsion
- Bio&micro fluidics

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 MEMS in harsh environments
• “Adverse Environment” features
– Large temperature swings
– Corrosive elements
• Materials need to be corrosion resistant and/or kept away from corrosive
elements
– Radiation
• Radiation hardened
– Remote location (not easily serviceable)
• power conservation, robustness of devices important
– Large amplitude vibrations (20 g’s)
• MEMS considered a good candidate for operation in
adverse environments (~$4-10K/lb. for launch) *
– Small, lightweight, low power, robust, low cost
– Small mass
small forces (e.g. mN for 1000G)[8]

* http://http://www.spaceref.com/news/viewnews.html?id=301 4
 Radiation in space
From Solar wind and flares
• Electrons, protons, and heavy ions
From Van Allen belts
• Inner belt : primarily protons > 10-100 MeV
– Reaches in about 250 km above
Brazilian coast
• Outer belt: primarily electrons < 10 MeV
– http://www.oulu.fi/~spaceweb/textbook/radbelts.htmlMagnetosphere http://www.eas.asu.edu/~holbert/eee460/tiondose.html

Cosmic rays (mostly protons*, up to 10 20 eV)

Electromagnetic pulse

After Mehlitz[1] 5
* Contains also helium, heavy ions, gamma rays, electrons…(from wikipedia)
 Annual Dose vs. altitude
Assuming 4 mm of
spherical aluminum
shielding

Rad =
radiation
absorbed
dose

1 rad = .01 J
per kg of
absorbing
matter (e.g.
tissue, Si, Al…)

Source: E.J. Daly, A. Hilgers, G. Drolshagen, and H.D.R. Evans, "Space Environment Analysis: Experience and Trends," ESA 1996 Symposium on Environment Modelling for
Space-based Applications, Sept. 18-20, 1996, ESTEC, Noordwijk, The Netherlands

http://www.eas.asu.edu/~holbert/eee460/tiondose.html 6
Radiation Dose and Dose Rates
• Total Ionizing Dose – long term failure
• Threshold shifts
• Increased leakage currents
• Timing changes
• Units of rad (R) (radiation absorbed dose) or grays
– 1 Rad(Si) = 1 R = 100 ergs/g in silicon,
1 Gray (Gy) = 1 J/Kg = 100 R
• Dose Rate
• Effects on dose rate seem to be different for
different materials[6]
• Simulating low dose rate effects using high dose
rate irradiation is not well understood.
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 Radiation testing
• Radiation sources
– Particles (cyclotron – 3 MeV to 3 GeV)*
– Low energy x-rays
• 8-160 keV
– Flash x-rays
• 250 keV x-rays, 1.4 MeV electrons
– Cobalt60 gamma source
• 2.5 Mev photons, 97 keV β particles

http://www.ilhamalqaradawi.com/ph
ysics-dept/gamma_cell.htm

*Texas A&M at College Station, TX 8

 Examples of radiation induced
failure modes
• Mechanical fracture by damage by high energy
heavy ions
• Dielectric rupture by high charges across thin
dielectrics
• Performance degradation caused by change in
material properties
• Electrical Latch-up causing high currents to flow

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 Effects on Materials
• Mechanical properties
– Defects
– Dislocations
– Probably does not affect
much but not much data on
this.
• Electrical properties
– Oxides
– p-n junctions
– SOI
From Space Radiation effects on microelectronics, JPL

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 Effects on silica optical fiber
http://www.fiber-optics.info/fiber-history.htm

• Defects
Color centers

• More easily radiation induced with more
impurities [7]
• Literature presents seemingly conflicting
results:
– Fibers rad hard with low OH content [11]
– Fibers rad hard with high OH content[7]

• Self annealing properties

• Offsets color center generation rate Increasing loss during Recovery – after
gamma irradiation irradiation
• Thermally activated
• Silica fibers that are not doped with P or B
display this characteristic
• Annealing rate increased with light
• Mechanism not well understood

H. Henschel, et al., 2002 [7]

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 Effects on electronic devices
• Transient errors
• Single Event Effects (SEEs)
– Single ions hitting the device
• Single Event Upsets (SEUs) SEL – Single event Latchup
After Mehlitz [1] SEB – Single event burnout
– flipped bits SEFI – Single event function interrupt

• Charging

http://www.aero.org/publications/crosslink/summer2003/03.html

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 Effects on Devices and circuits
Radiation induced photocurrent
shorts out Vdd

http://www.aero.org/publications/cr
osslink/summer2003/03.html

From Space Radiation Effects in microelectronics,

JPL/NASA

In CMOS circuits: Latch-up can occur (PMOS

and NMOS are both on at the same time)
- Coupled by parasitic BJTs: This draws large currents
which can burn out the circuit.
- Using an SOI structure reduces coupling and makes
http://www.eng.uwaterloo.ca/~asultana/PROJECT_SOI_MOSFET.doc.pdf it latch-up resistant.

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 Transient Effects

http://www.aero.org/publications/crosslink/summer2003/03.html

Effects of Quartz crystal oscillator

Atomic displacements lead to change in

elastic properties of material
Low doses shift fss more than high doses
(not well understood)

∆fss varies nonlinearly with dose

http://www.ieee-uffc.org/freqcontrol/quartz/vig/vigrad.htm
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 Example of clamping circuit
Protected node

Protecting node

Protected node
If particle causes protected gate (G) to turn on:
D2 turns on and clamps voltage

If particle causes protecting gate (GP) to turn on:

Protecting node The lower login 0 level means that an error is
more unlikely.
Under normal operation, both G and GP are
Garg et al., 2006 [10] used simultaneously.

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Effect on mechanical properties of
materials
• Not much published data on effect of
radiation on mechanical properties
• Shea[8] says that:
– “even at high end of space mission doses, the
mechanical properties of silicon and metals
are mostly unchanged (Young’s modulus,
yield strength not significantly affected).”

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 MEMS piston actuator [2]
• Under low energy X-rays and gamma rays
– 250, 500, 750, 1000 krad (Si)

No change with
Gamma rays:
Attributed to energy
being deposited in
silicon substrate –
away from actuators.

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Effects on MEMS piston actuator [2]
– X-ray irradiated samples under positive and negative
bias
• +: increased voltage/deflection
• -: decreased voltage/deflection

– Radiation induced charge trapped in SiN layer.

– Negative bias effects
long lived Differences not known, but
interfaces at air and
– Positive bias effects
lasted 7 days substrate are different

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 Mitigation techniques and tradeoffs
• Shielding
– High density material (HDM) , e.g. Lead
• not always practical due to weight
• Bremsstrahlung radiation from HDM may be
harmful due to short wavelengths from
secondary emission. [J.H. Adams, “The variability of single event
upsets rate sin the natural environment”, IEE Trans. On Nuclear Science, vol., NS-30,
no.6, Dec 1983]

– Low density Material (LDM), e.g. Aluminum

• high energy ions (> 30 MeV H+) pass
through LDM
• Ions which are slowed down can cause
more damage due to longer interaction time

• Material structure
– Semiconductor on Insulator (SOI)
• Reduced bulk material reduces e-h pairs From Space Radiation Effects in microelectronics,
JPL/NASA
generated by passing particles.

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 Mitigation techniques and tradeoffs
• Minimizing use of dielectrics
– Trapped charge causes permanent electric field

• Minimize fatigue and plastic deformation[8]

– No metal on silicon suspension beams
– Dry ambient
– Maximum strain of less than 20% of yield strength

• Radiation hardening by design

– Redundancy and comparison, CMOS on SOI resistant to latchup http://www.us.design-reuse.com/news/?id=10962&print=yes

• Rad hard processors

– Slower and more power hungry due to redundancy and scrubbing programs which are error correcting programs which
scan the memory.
– At least 10× slower than Commercial Off The Shelf (COTS) processors.

• Software
– Periodic scanning programs to catch errors
– Eat up CPU cycles and slow down the system

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 Summary
• TID, dose rate, radiation type(s) depend
on orbit.
• Techniques for mitigating detrimental
effects are available but no panacea is
offered
• Radiation induced effects are often
complex and difficult to model – mitigation
done on a case by case basis.

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 References
1. Peter C. Mehlitz, John Penix, “Expect the unexpected – Radiation hardened software”, 2005, Intelligent systems Division, AMES
Research center, http://ic.arc.nasa.gov/ase/papers/AIAA05/rhs.pdf

2. J.R. Caffey and P. E. Kladitis, “The Effects of ionizing radiation on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) actuators: electrostatic,
electrothermal, and Bimorph”, 2004 IEEE, p. 133-6

3. “Space Radiation effect in microelectronics”, Presented by the Radiation effects group; Sammy Kayali, Section Manager,
http://parts.jpl.nasa.gov/docs/Radcrs_Final.pdf

4. Brian Stark (Editor), “MEMS Reliability Assurance guidelines for Space Applications”, Jet Propulsion Laboratory, JPL Publication 99-
1, 1999; http://parts.jpl.nasa.gov/docs/JPL%20PUB%2099-1.pdf

5. Mario Jorge Moura David, “Low Dose Rate Effects in scintillating and WLS fibers by ionizing radiation”, Masters Thesis, University of
Lisbon, 1996

6. http://nepp.nasa.gov/photonics/spietre/reffects.htm

7. H. Henschel, O. Kohn, U. Weinand,” A new radiation hard optical fiber for high dose values”, IEEE Trans. On Nuc. Sci, vol. 49, no. 3,
2002, pg. 1432

8. Madsen, Anne; Design Techniques for the prevention of radiation induced latchup in bulk CMOS processes, 1995, Naval
postgraduate school

9. Herbert R. Shea, “Reliability of MEMS for space applications”, Reliability, Packaging, Testing and Characterization of
MEMS/MOEMS V, edited by Danele M. Tanner, Rajeshuni, Ramesham, Proc. Of SPIE Vol 6111, 61110A, (2006)

10. Rajesh Garg, Nikhil Jayakumar, Sunil P. Khatri, Gwan Choi, “A Design Approach for radiation hard digital electronics”, DAC 2006,
July 24.28, 2006, San Francisco, California, USA, p. 773

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