Total Ionizing Dose effects in DDR3 SDRAMs under Co-60 and X-ray irradiation

This paper presents an analysis of the TID sensitivity of Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS) DDR3 memories. Experimental setup and results following 60CO and X-ray characterization campaigns using dynamic test methods are described. Parametric drifts and functional failures, including data retention time test, are observed and discussed. An additional 60CO test campaign, using static test method highlights the impact of the applied biasing mode during gamma ray irradiation. As energy saving has become increasingly a key driver of the DRAMs evolution, manufacturers has developed operating low power modes, that can be activated while the component is idle, reducing its power consumption. This paper experimentally reveals a TID-induced higher sensitivity of those low power modes.