In this contribution, the impact of extreme environmental conditions in terms of energy-level radiation of protons on silicon–germanium (SiGe)-integrated circuits is experimentally studied. Canonical representative structures including linear (passive interconnects/antennas) and non-linear (low-noise amplifiers) are used as carriers for assessing the impact of aggressive stress conditions on their performances. Perspectives for holistic modeling and characterization approaches accounting for various interaction mechanisms (substrate resistivity variations, couplings/interferences, drift in DC and radio frequency (RF) characteristics) for active samples are down to allow for optimal solutions in pushing SiGe technologies toward applications with harsh and radiation-intense environments (e.g. space, nuclear, military). Specific design prototypes are built for assessing mission-critical profiles for emerging RF and mm-wave applications.

When exposed to radiation, the function of microelectronic devices is not only degraded by single-event phenomena but by cumulative effects. Most of the energy lost by radiation passing through semiconductors is through ionization. Buildup of charge in gate oxide layers and of interface and border traps due to ionization result in semipermanent damage to the device. These effects are known as total ionizing dose effects. A fraction of the energy of the radiation passing through semiconductors is lost to displacement of atoms from their sites in the crystal lattice structure. The buildup of displacement damage with radiation exposure causes gradual but permanent changes in device performance and limits device lifetime in a radiation environment. Displacement damage will be discussed in the context of non-ionizing energy loss.