Total-Ionizing-Dose Effects on Threshold Switching in 1 -TaS2 Charge Density Wave Devices

• Published in: IEEE electron device letters Vol. 38; no. 12; pp. 1724 - 1727
• Main Authors: Liu, G., Zhang, E. X., Liang, C. D., Bloodgood, M. A., Salguero, T. T., Fleetwood, D. M., Balandin, A. A.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: IEEE 01-12-2017
• Subjects: 1T-TaS₂ threshold switching; Charge density waves; Radiation hardening (electronics); radiation hardness; Threshold voltage
• ISSN: 0741-3106; 1558-0563
• DOI: 10.1109/LED.2017.2763597

The 1T polytype of TaS 2 exhibits voltage-triggered threshold switching as a result of a phase transition from nearly commensurate to incommensurate charge density wave states. Threshold switching, persistent above room temperature, can be utilized in a variety of electronic devices, e.g., voltage controlled oscillators. We evaluated the total-ionizing-dose response of thin film 1T-TaS 2 at doses up to 1 Mrad (SiO 2 ). The threshold voltage changed by less than 2% after irradiation, with persistent self-sustained oscillations observed through the full irradiation sequence. The radiation hardness is attributed to the high intrinsic carrier concentration of 1T-TaS 2 in both of the phases that lead to threshold switching. These results suggest that charge density wave devices, implemented with thin films of 1T-TaS 2 , are promising for applications in high radiation environments.