Method of reducing alpha-particle induced errors in an integrated circuit
US4328610A · kind A · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Apr 25, 1980 |
| Grant date | May 11, 1982 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Apr 25, 2000 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
- CPC primaryY10S438/98
- WIPO fieldSemiconductors
- WIPO sectorElectrical engineering
Abstract
Alpha-particle induced errors in integrated circuits, especially those used for memory storage, are reduced by subjecting the partially completed, or fully completed, integrated circuits to neutron irradiation. This irradiation creates "traps" in the single crystalline semiconductor substrates of the integrated circuits for any unwanted charged particles that are produced by alpha particle radiation. Consequently, such unwanted charged particles do not disrupt the integrity of any data stored in the circuit. In one embodiment, the neutron irradiation is applied during wafer fabrication and, in a second embodiment, the irradiation is applied after wafer fabrication but before packaging of the circuit, and in the third embodiment the irradiation is applied after a completion of the packaging step of the integrated circuits.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.