High-Energy Radiation Effects on Silicon NPN Bipolar Transistor Electrical Performance: A Study with 1 MeV Proton Irradiation

This study investigates the degradation of the silicon NPN transistor’s emitter-base junction, specifically the 2N2219A model, under both forward and reverse polarization. We examine the current–voltage characteristics under the influence of 1 MeV proton irradiation at various fluencies, which are 5.3×108,5.3×1010,5×1011,5×1012, and 5×1013 protons/cm², all conducted at 307 K. The experimental findings elucidate a pronounced dependency of diode parameters, including the reverse saturation current, series resistance, and the non-idealist factor, on the incident proton flow. This observation underscores that proton-induced degradation is primarily driven by displacement damage, while recorded degradation is predominantly attributed to the generation of defects and interfacial traps within the transistor resulting from exposure to high-energy radiation. Our findings indicate that the effects of irradiation align more closely with the compensation phenomenon in doping rather than its reinforcement.