Observation of single event burnout (SEB) in an SOI NLDMOSFET using a pulsed laser

Single event burnout (SEB) of NLDMOSFETs on SOI initiated by pulsed laser irradiation is demonstrated for the first time. The sensitive region of the device for SEB and the effects of reverse voltage and laser energy are explored. The data indicate that the device is most sensitive to laser pulses in the drift region near the P-well. This is influenced by the electric field distribution in the drift region of the LDMOSFET at the time of the laser pulse. The SEB threshold depends on both the applied reverse voltage and the laser pulse energy. The laser pulse energy at a given reverse voltage required to initiate SEB is inversely proportional to the laser spot distance from the P-well. Simulation results for the device drain current following the radiation pulse indicate that the behavior of the npn parasitic bipolar transistor inherent in the LDMOS structure can explain the observations.