A Novel Approach to Characterize Commercial CMOS Image Sensors in the Search for Boron to Study Thermal Neutron-Induced Radiation Effects Invited Paper

• Main Authors: Espain, Maria Sol, Perez, Martin, Lipovetzky, Jose, Thorp, Silvia I., Curotto, Paula, Pozzi, Emiliano C.C., Marin, Julio, Longhino, Juan M., Bessia, Fabricio Alcalde, Haro, Miguel Sofo, Blostein, Jeronimo J., Berisso, Mariano Gomez, Martin, Gisele Saint, Gonzalez, Sara J., Portu, Agustina M.
• Format: Conference Proceeding
• Language: English
• Subjects: Boron; BPSG; CMOS image sensors; CMOS sensors; Integrated circuits; neutron autoradiography; Neutron capture therapy; Neutrons; Radiation effects; Random access memory
• ISSN: 2836-1024
• DOI: 10.1109/CAE59785.2024.10487150

We utilized the neutron autoradiography technique to establish a novel approach for detecting 10 B in integrated circuits (ICs). Boron is usually found in the insulating layers of CMOS devices, and its interaction with thermal neutrons is a primary source of ionizing radiation that leads to damage in the chips. Moreover, in order to develop a new technique to detect boron in biological samples for Boron Neutron Capture Therapy (BNCT), it is essential to analyze the presence of boron in CMOS image sensors intended for this purpose. 3 commercial CMOS image sensor models were evaluated through neutron autoradiography in search of boron: OV5647, IMX219, and IMX708. Additionally, thermal neutron irradiations were conducted in order to analyze the events produced by the charged particles resulting from the boron neutron capture reaction and the damage generated by them. A significant presence of boron was found in sensors 0V5647 and IMX219. IMX708 exhibited a minimal presence of boron, making it an attractive candidate for developing the new boron imaging technique for BNCT. The method presented in this work has been proven effective in predicting thermal neutron-induced effects caused by boron in electronic devices and could be applied to any IC, including RAM memories.