Impact of X-Ray Radiation on the Reliability of Logic Integrated Circuits

X-Ray imaging is widely used in the semiconductor industry, for failure analysis and for in-line inspection of surface mount devices. Here, we investigate the TID-induced degradation of logic ICs, which happens after long-term exposure to X-Ray. The observed degradation is mainly in the form of an increase in the leakage of input/output pins and the IDDQ of their circuitry. Annealing at high temperature is shown to partially recover the leakage degradation caused by the radiation.