TID Experiment on ReRAM

Total ionizing dose (TID) effect is the cumulative damage found in devices due to ionizing radiation over a period of exposure time. It has been a problem for conventional memories, mostly by creating charged trapping in the oxide of the devices. For emerging non-volatile memories such as ReRAM, it remains unclear how the device responds to TID effects and what can be the measures to improve the device robustness against radiation. This topic is being vigorously investigated by researchers due to the potential ReRAM has in space.

With devices fabricated by ourselves, Rad-Hard Lab conducted TID experiment using a Co60 irradiation source in collaboration with NTHU. As shown in the photo, Co60 is typically stored in a shielding container which is placed in the center of the testing facility. Samples are placed around the source in individual containers. Co60 is a radioactive material that emits gamma rays during decay. This process induces ionizing effects in devices, which has become almost a standard method for TID study. We are currently analyzing the data, improving our work, and seeking more collaborators to join the project.