Design and assembly of in situ electrical characterization setup for semiconductor devices in mixed neutron and gamma radiation at the University of Florida Training Reactor: Application to HZO-based MFM capacitors

Abstract

Showcasing the performance of TiN/Hf_0.5Zr_0.5O₂ (HZO)/TiN ferroelectric capacitors (FeCAPs), we present the detailed development and implementation of a new in situ electrical characterization setup, designed and built at the University of Florida’s nuclear reactor facility, for testing semiconductor devices under radiation. This innovative system employs variable shielding materials to filter gamma and neutron radiation selectively. In situ measurements of the HZO devices revealed notable changes in ferroelectric hysteresis loops under increasing variable neutrons (i.e., thermal, epithermal, and fast neutrons) and gamma radiation exposures. Importantly, our study focuses on the real-time evolution of remnant polarization in HZO-based ferroelectric capacitors upon increasing radiation exposure inside the nuclear reactor’s beam port. These findings demonstrate the importance of operando performance of novel non-volatile memory architectures under neutron and gamma radiation, underscoring their application potential in space and related technologies.