A radiation hard bandgap reference circuit in a standard 0.13 μm CMOS technology

With ongoing CMOS evolution, the gate-oxide thickness steadily decreases, resulting in an increased radiation tolerance of MOS transistors. Combined with special layout techniques, this yields circuits with a high inherent robustness against X-rays and other ionizing radiation. In bandgap voltage references, the dominant radiation-susceptibility is then no longer associated with the MOS transistors, but is dominated by the diodes. This paper gives an analysis of radiation effects in both MOS devices and diodes and presents a solution to realize a radiation-hard voltage reference circuit in a standard CMOS technology. A demonstrator circuit was implemented in a standard 0.13 mu m CMOS technology. Measurements show correct operation with supply voltages in the range from 1.4 V down to 0.85 V, a reference voltage of 405 mV +/- 7.5 mV (sigma = 6 mV chip-to-chip statistical spread), and a reference voltage shift of only +/- 1.5 mV (around 0.8%) under irradiation up to 44 Mrad (Si).