Simulation of Optical Energy Deposition for Pulsed Laser-Induced Single Event Effects Testing in Microelectronic Devices

Abstract

Pulsed laser-induced charge injection is a popular experimental technique for investigation of single event effects in microelectronic devices. Unlike traditional heavy ion testing, which is costly and limited to a relatively small number of facilities around the world, pulsed laser testing utilizes widely available measurement systems. However, while extensive first principles modeling of the interaction of heavy ions with microelectronic devices has been carried out to both understand and predict the behavior of the devices when struck by heavy ions, similar first principles modeling efforts for pulsed laser testing has not been done. In this thesis, simulation capabilities are developed to model the interaction of laser light with microelectronic devices and the subsequent electronic single event effects that occur. A commercially available optical simulation package is modified to incorporate optical processes germane to pulsed lasers, including several nonlinear effects, in order to produce accurate three-dimensional distributions of deposited energy. These distributions are then incorporated into a standard device simulation tool to capture the device response to the laser pulse. Comparison of simulated and experimental results for pulse laser testing of a large area silicon diode shows good agreement for multiple pulse energies and reverse bias conditions.