Geometric Analysis of Soft Errors and Oxide Damage Produced by Heavy Cosmic Rays and Alpha Particles

Abstract

The interaction of fast heavy ions and alpha particles with microelectronic cells is examined. An analytic expression for the event rate due to the cosmic flux is derived based on the track length distribution in rectangular volumes. Both transient (soft errors) and permanent (oxide damage) effects are considered. The multiple hit consequences of the LSI/VLSI cells lying in a common plane are developed.

Heavy-Ion Induced Single Event Upsets in Advanced 65 nm Radiation Hardened FPGAs

“…Bradford et al contributed by expressing the total SEU rates (N) by LET and length, which could also be extended to a statistical result of particle events [18]. Thus, the effective LET spectrum can be integrated with the σ SEU and σ sat .…”

Radiation Effects in Si CMOS Platforms

“…Eighty to ninety percent of the core-collapse supernovae occur in OB associations (associations of O and B type stars) [34] and there is experimental evidence from the composition of GCRs that they come mostly from these OB associations [35]. During their propagation through the Galaxy between their sources and the solar system, GCRs traverse 6 to 10 g/cm 2 of interstellar matter [36]. This alters their composition, enriching GCRs in certain elements, notably Li, Be and B and the elements just below Fe.…”

“…The Rectangular ParallelePiped (RPP) model was introduced by Bradford [3], [2] and independently by Pickel and Blandford [5]. In this method the LET spectrum is integrated over the chord length distribution for a rectangular parallelepiped from a threshold LET to the maximum LET in the LET spectrum.…”

“…The integral over the chord length distribution and LET spectrum according to [16] needed to produce a charge, . There are many equivalent expressions for this integral, some integrating over pathlength [5], others integrating over an integral pathlength distribution and a differential LET spectrum [3], [2]. All these formulations are equivalent.…”

CRÈME96 and Related Error Rate Prediction Methods

“…Bradford [2], [3] and Pickel and Blandford, in their CRIER (Cosmic-Ray-Induced-Error-Rate) analysis code [4], [5], introduced the basic Rectangular ParallelePiped (RPP) method for error rate calculations. For the radiation environment at the part, both [3], [2] and [5] made use of the Cosmic Ray LET (Linear Energy Transfer) spectra calculated by Heinrich for various absorber depths [6]. A more detailed model for the space radiation environment within spacecraft was developed by Adams and co-workers [7]- [14].…”