RADIATION-DETECTING STRUCTURES

• US 20100155611A1
• Filed: 12/19/2008
• Published: 06/24/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Cypress Semiconductor Corporation (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Original Assignee: Spansion LLC (Infineon Technologies AG)
• Inventors: Blish, Richard, Colecchia, Roberto, Clopton, Patrick Mark, Fullwood, Clayton, Hossain, Timothy Z.
• Application Number:
  US12/340,295
• Publication Number:
  US 20100155611A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 250/370.50
• CPC Class Codes: G01T 3/08 with semiconductor detectors

Abstract

A mobile device including a housing, a wireless signal transceiver contained within the housing, and a radiation-detecting structure comprising a charge storage structure contained within the housing to detect radiation.

Claims

1. An article comprising:

a mobile device including;

a housing;

a wireless signal transceiver contained within the housing; and

a radiation-detecting structure comprising a charge storage structure contained within the housing to detect radiation.

2. The article of claim 1, wherein the radiation-detecting structure is a neutron-detecting structure.

3. The article of claim 1, further comprising a timer module coupled to the radiation-detecting structure to determine when to conduct a read operation to determine a state of the radiation-detecting structure.

4. The article of claim 3, wherein upon conducting the read operation, read data is generated and transmitted to a remote transmitter.

5. The article of claim 4, wherein an alert signal is generated in response to the read operation.

6. The article of claim 5, wherein the alert signal is transmitted to a communications network.

7. The article of claim 1, further comprising a microelectromechanical system (MEMS) electrically coupled to the radiation-detecting structure.

8. The article of claim 7, wherein the MEMS is an accelerometer.

9. The article of claim 1, wherein the housing is coupled to a transportation vehicle.

10. The article of claim 1, further comprising a digital data processor electrically coupled to the radiation-detecting structure.

11. The article of claim 10, further comprising a radiation-insensitive charge storage structure coupled to the digital data processor.

12. The article of claim 11, wherein the radiation-insensitive charge storage structure and the radiation-detecting structure are part of a same memory array.

13. The article of claim 11, wherein the radiation-detecting structure comprises a same design as the radiation-insensitive charge storage structure.

14. The article of claim 13, wherein the radiation-detecting structure comprises a radiation-sensitive layer including a material different than a material within a corresponding layer of the radiation-insensitive charge storage structure.

15. The article of claim 14, wherein the radiation-detecting structure comprises ¹⁰B and the radiation-insensitive charge storage structure comprises ¹¹B.

16. An article comprising:

a personal mobile device comprising;

a housing;

a wireless signal transceiver contained within the housing;

a substrate contained within the housing; and

a charge storage structure disposed at the substrate within the housing comprising a radiation-reactive material, wherein the charge storage structure is electrically connected to the wireless signal transceiver.

17. The article of claim 16, wherein the radiation-reactive material comprises an amorphous phase.

18. The article of claim 16, wherein the radiation-reactive material comprises an element selected from the group of elements consisting of ¹⁰B, ⁶Li, ¹¹³Cd, and ¹⁵⁷Gd.

19. The article of claim 16, further comprising a thermalizing material overlying the charge storage structure.

20. An article comprising:

a mobile device including;

a housing;

a wireless signal transceiver contained within the housing; and

a radiation-detecting structure comprising ¹⁰B to detect radiation.