Sensitive Volume Models For Single Event Upset Analysis and Rate Prediction for Space, Atmospheric, and Terrestrial Radiation Environments
Warren, Kevin Mark
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2010-07-14
Abstract
The multiple sensitive volume model is a spatial and mathematical description that relates energy deposited by a quantum of ionizing radiation to charge collection at transistor nodes within semiconductor devices. The sensitive volume model is capable of capturing the spatial and directional dependence of ionizing energy loss on charge collected at transistor contacts. Monte Carlo estimation, rather than the calculation of closed-form expressions, is used to determine chord length distributions in an arbitrary number of sensitive volumes and sensitive volume groups. Physics based Monte Carlo simulation is ultimately used to abandon the chord length distribution approximations and to directly calculate energy deposition within the bounds of the sensitive volumes. The methodology of using multiple sensitive volumes, and sensitive volume groups, within a Monte Carlo framework, is applied to the problem of predicting SEU parameters such as cross sections and error rates for three common sequential logic devices.