Device for measuring doses of ionizing particles
AssigneesSTMicroelectronics (Crolles 2) SAS, Centre National De La Recherche Scientifique
InventorsMartin Cochet, Dimitri Soussan, Fady Abouzeid, Gilles Gasiot, Philippe Roche
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Abstract
Absorbed ionizing particles differentially effect first and second acquiring circuit stages configured to respectively generate first and second acquisition signals. Each acquisition signal has a characteristic that is variable as a function of an amount of absorbed ionizing particles. A measuring circuit generates, on the basis of the first and second acquisition signals, a relative parameter indicative of a relationship between the variable characteristics. A computation of a total ionizing dose is made using a 1st- or 2nd-degree polynomial relationship in the relative parameter.
Claims25
A device for measuring ionizing particles, comprising:
- an acquiring circuit including first and second acquiring circuit stages respectively having different sensitivities to absorbed ionizing particles and configured to respectively generate first and second acquisition signals that each have a characteristic that is variable as a function of an amount of absorbed ionizing particles;
- and
- a processing circuit including a measuring circuit that is configured to generate, on the basis of the first and second acquisition signals, a relative parameter indicative of a relationship between said characteristics that are variable, and a computing circuit configured to compute a total ionizing dose using a 1st- or 2nd-degree polynomial relationship in said relative parameter.
A method, comprising:
- generating a first acquisition signal having a variable characteristic that is function of an amount of ionizing particles absorbed by a circuit;
- generating a second acquisition signal having a variable characteristic that is an opposite function of the amount of ionizing particles absorbed by the circuit;
- generating, on the basis of the first and second acquisition signals, a relative parameter indicative of a relationship between said variable characteristics;
- and
- computing a total ionizing dose using a 1st- or 2nd-degree polynomial relationship in said relative parameter.
A device for measuring ionizing particles, comprising:
- an nMOS first ring oscillator configured to generate a first acquisition signal having a characteristic that is variable as a function of an amount of absorbed ionizing particles;
- a pMOS second ring oscillator configured to generate a second acquisition signal having a characteristic that is variable as a function of an amount of absorbed ionizing particles;
- a first circuit configured to generate, on the basis of the first and second acquisition signals, a relative parameter indicative of a relationship between said characteristics that are variable;
- and
- a second circuit configured to compute a total ionizing dose from the relative parameter.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.