Simulation of proton-induced energy deposition in integrated circuits

• Published in: IEEE transactions on nuclear science 1988-02, Vol.35 (1), p.981-986
• Main Authors: Fernald, K.W., Kerns, S.E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Applied sciences; Circuit simulation; Computational modeling; Computer simulation; Design. Technologies. Operation analysis. Testing; Electronics; Electronics And Electrical Engineering; Exact sciences and technology; Integrated circuit modeling; Integrated circuits; Performance analysis; Physics computing; Probability density function; Protons; Semiconductor electronics. Microelectronics. Optoelectronics. Solid state devices; Stochastic processes; Transient analysis
• ISSN: 0018-9499; 1558-1578
• DOI: 10.1109/23.12869

A time-efficient simulation technique was developed for modeling the energy deposition by incident protons in modern integrated circuits. To avoid the excessive computer time required by many proton-effects simulators, a stochastic method was chosen to model the various physical effects responsible for energy deposition by incident protons. Using probability density functions to describe the nuclear reactions responsible for most proton-induced memory upsets, the simulator determines the probability of a proton hit depositing the energy necessary for circuit destabilization. This factor is combined with various circuit parameters to determine the expected error-rate in a given proton environment. An analysis of transient or dose-rate effects is also performed. A comparison to experimental energy-disposition data proves the simulator to be quite accurate for predicting the expected number of events in certain integrated circuits.< >