Proton-irradiation-immune electronics implemented with two-dimensional charge-density-wave devices

Abstract

Proton radiation damage is an important failure mechanism for electronic devices in near-Earth orbits, deep space and high energy physics facilities [1][2][3][4] . Protons can cause ionizing damage and atomic displacements, resulting in device degradation and malfunction [5][6][7][8][9][10] . Shielding of electronics increases the weight and cost of the systems but does not eliminate destructive single events produced by energetic protons 8,10 . Modern electronics based on semiconductors -even those specially designed for radiation hardness -remain highly susceptible to proton damage. Here we demonstrate that room temperature (RT) charge-density-wave (CDW) devices with quasi-two-dimensional (2D) 1T-TaS2 channels show remarkable immunity to bombardment with 1.8 MeV protons to a fluence of at least 10 14 H + cm -2 . Current-2 | P a g e voltage I-V characteristics of these 2D CDW devices do not change as a result of proton irradiation, in striking contrast to most conventional semiconductor devices or other 2D devices. Only negligible changes are found in the low-frequency noise spectra. The radiation immunity of these "all-metallic" CDW devices can be attributed to their two-terminal design, quasi-2D nature of the active channel, and high concentration of charge carriers in the utilized CDW phases. Such devices, capable of operating over a wide temperature range, can constitute a crucial segment of future electronics for space, particle accelerator and other radiation environments. | P a g eThe future of human and unmanned space exploration depends crucially on the development of new electronic technologies that are immune to space radiation, which consists primarily of protons, electrons, and cosmic rays 1-4 . The penetrating energetic radiation of deep space produces negative impacts on not only biological entities but also the electronic systems of space vehicles. Electronics capable of operating in highradiation environments are also needed for monitoring nuclear materials, medical diagnostics, radiation treatments, nuclear reactors and particle accelerators 5-12 .Shielding of electronic systems in space is limited to lower-energy electrons and protons.High-energy proton irradiation causes ionizing damage by generating excess charges at the interface regions in the complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) transistors and other typical microelectronic devices and integrated circuits [8][9][10][11][12][13][14] . This type of damage results in the changes in the threshold voltages and source-drain currents, potentially leading to device or system failure. Protons also can induce displacement, which typically leads to the formation of point defects in semiconductors. These are electronic trapping states that often reveal themselves by increases in low-frequency noise (LFN) 15,16 Noise increases beyond system tolerance limits is therefore an additional challenge to electronics in high-radiation environments. Shielding, the use of conventional radiation-hardened technologies and backup devices, increases system...

Electron-phonon interactions and two-phonon modes associated with charge density wave in single crystalline1T−VSe2

“…Most 2D materials exist in two stable crystal structures such as 2H (trigonal prismatic) and 1T (octahedron), where the physical properties depend on the symmetry of the phases [13]. Among the several versatile properties, the CDW is a novel phenomenon realized in 1T and 2H polytypes of many metallic layered TMDCs, such as NbSe 2 , TaSe 2 , TaS 2 , VTe 2 , and VSe 2 [14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. Thus, these materials have received much scientific and technological attention for many-body interactions and potential applications in memory devices, transistors, logic-gate electronics, and oscillators [14][15][16][17][18][19][20].…”

“…Among the several versatile properties, the CDW is a novel phenomenon realized in 1T and 2H polytypes of many metallic layered TMDCs, such as NbSe 2 , TaSe 2 , TaS 2 , VTe 2 , and VSe 2 [14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. Thus, these materials have received much scientific and technological attention for many-body interactions and potential applications in memory devices, transistors, logic-gate electronics, and oscillators [14][15][16][17][18][19][20]. The origin of the CDW in TMDCs has not achieved any general scientific consensus and has remained a topic of investigation so far [5,[21][22][23][24].…”

Evidence for a thermally driven charge-density-wave transition in 1T-TaS2 thin-film devices: Prospects for GHz switching speed

“…[31][32][33] The fact that two-terminal devices implemented with 1T-TaS2 are radiation hard is an additional benefit. 27,34 The resistivity changes exhibited by several TMDs, e.g. 1T-TaS2 and 1T-TaSe2, are attributed to transitions among different CDW phases.…”

High yield production of ultrathin fibroid semiconducting nanowire of Ta2Pd3Se8

“…Moreover, the idea of mechanical exfoliation of 2D vdW material can be extended to one dimensional (1D) fibroid crystals, which consist of unit 1D molecular ribbons parallel bonded by vdW forces. [11][12][13][14][15][16][17] This presents a new path of fabricating TMDC nanoribbons and avoids the edge problems faced by traditional methods. [18][19][20][21] in which nanoribbons are directly cut out from the 2D TMDC layers.…”