This paper presents a study of MOSFETs as a sensor and dosimeter of ionizing radiation. The electrical signal used as a dosimetric parameter is the threshold voltage. The functionality of these components is based on radiation-induced ionization in SiO2, which results in increase of positive charge trapped in the SiO2 and interface traps at Si-SiO2, leads to change in threshold voltage. The first part of the paper deals with analysis of defect precursors created by ionizing radiation, responsible for creation of fixed and switching traps, as well as most important techniques for their separation. Afterwards, the results for sensitive p-channel MOSFETs (RADFETs) are presented, following with results for commercially available MOSFETs applications as a sensors of ionizing radiation.

The paper investigates a possibility of pMOS dosimeter re-use for the measurement of gamma-ray irradiation. The dosimeters were irradiated to the dose of 35 Gy, annealed at room and elevated temperatures, after which they were irradiated again to the same dose value. Changes in the threshold voltage shift during those processes were followed, and it was shown that their re-use depends on a gate polarization during irradiation. For the gate polarization of 5 V during irradiation the pMOS dosimeters can be re-used for measurements of the irradiation dose after annealing without prior calibration. The pMOS dosimeters with the gate polarization during irradiation of 2.5 V can also be re-used for irradiation dose measurements but they require calibration. It is shown that for their re-use it is necessary to anneal the pMOS dosimeter so that the fading is higher than 50%.

Response of pMOS dosemeters during two successive irradiations with gamma-ray irradiation to a dose of 35 Gy and annealing at room and elevated temperature has been studied. The response was followed on the basis of threshold voltage shift, determined from transfer characteristics, as a function of absorbed dose or annealing time. It was shown that the threshold voltage shifts during first and second irradiation for the gate bias during irradiation of 5 and 2.5 V insignificantly differ although complete fading was not achieved after the first cycle of annealing. In order to analyse the defects formed in oxide and at the interface during irradiation and annealing, which are responsible for threshold voltage shift, midgap and charge-pumping techniques were used. It was shown that during first irradiation and annealing a dominant influence to threshold voltage shift is made by fixed oxide traps, while at the beginning of the second annealing cycle, threshold voltage shift is a consequence of both fixed oxide traps and slow switching traps.