A roadmap for NASA's radiation effects research in emerging microelectronics and photonics

Design of a soft-error robust microprocessor

“…In space environment, significant sources of TID include trapped electrons, trapped protons and solar protons. Its effects include parametric failures or variations in device parameters like leakage current, threshold voltage, timing changes, etc (LABEL et al, 2000). These effects usually take a long time to occur, but they are permanent and can induce functional failures to ICs as putting out of use some of their functional blocks.…”

“…By this reason they can also be considered as intermittent events. Such errors are entirely device specific and are better categorized by their impacts on the device (LABEL et al, 2000). When a radiation-induced particle hits a node of a circuit, a Single Event Transient (SET) pulse can be created with enough energy to switch the node to a different voltage level.…”

“…A Single Event Burnout (SEB) is a highly localized destructive burnout of the drain-source in a MOSFET. On the other hand, a Single Event Gate Rupture (SEGR) is the destructive burnout of a gate insulator in a MOSFET (LABEL et al, 2000).…”

“…The effectiveness of radiation-induced DD depends basically on the defect rate and on the time exposure. Prime sources of DD include trapped protons, solar protons, neutrons, and in a lesser extent, trapped electrons (LABEL et al, 2000;SROUR;MARSHALL;MARSHALL, 2003).…”

“…An event of Single Hard Error (SHE) causes an undesired permanent change to a circuit node. A common example would be a stuck bit in a memory element (LABEL et al, 2000); • Destructive SEE: events that can cause permanent physical destruction of the circuit. A Single Event Latchup (SEL) is the most common Destructive SEE.…”