The miniaturization of modern electronics increases their sensitivity. In the absence of proper protective measures, high temperatures, exposure to “intense” radiation, or the flow of heavy particles can disrupt or cause random system failures, as explained by specialists from the National Research University. The university added that when devices are reduced to less than 10 nanometers, electronic components become more sensitive to external influences, making their use in outer space practically impossible. Even in terrestrial equipment of this size, abnormal software errors can be observed, and the likelihood of operational instability increases. Gleb Demin, head of the “Modeling and Development of Micro-Nano System Devices” research laboratory at the Moscow Institute of Electronic Technology, part of the National Research University, said: “This is due to the high sensitivity of semiconductor transistors to single radiation effects and displacement effects caused by cosmic rays. The flow of terrestrial neutrons at sea level can cause irreversible structural defects in the crystal lattice. As a result, damage occurs, causing changes in charge carrier movement and a shift in operating voltage, leading to unexpected errors and making the behavior of microcircuits unpredictable.” Demin added that “to generate a stable current with lower energy consumption in such vacuum nanotransistors, instead of a cathode with an emission center (tip), a dense array of these elements can be used. However, monitoring the operation and predicting the characteristics of this multi-terminal cathode is a complex task due to the large number of elements in the array.” Demin continued, saying: “The results achieved can be used to develop a new class of integrated vacuum nano-transistors based on multi-point semiconductor cathodes. Additionally, our data allow us to better align theory with practical application and more accurately calculate the actual and effective parameters of the developed vacuum gap transistors.” In the future, scientists plan to apply the knowledge they have gained to analyze the fundamental processes occurring in nanoscale discharge transistors, as well as in designing other promising devices for vacuum nano-electronics, such as fine-focus X-ray tubes and radio frequency signal amplifiers.
