Upset due to a single particle caused propagated transients in a bulk CMOS microprocessor

Conference · Sun Dec 01 04:00:00 EST 1991 · IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers); (United States)

OSTI ID:5612361

Leavy, J F; Hoffmann, L F; Shoran, R W; Johnson, M T ^[1]

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1. Honeywell SASSO, Clearwater, FL (US)

This paper reports on data pattern advances observed in preset, single event upset (SEU) hardened clocked flip-flops, during static Cf-252 exposures on a bulk CMOS microprocessor, that were attributable to particle caused anomalous clock signals, or propagated transients. SPICE simulations established that particle strikes in the output nodes of a clock control logic flip-flop could produce transients of sufficient amplitude and duration to be accepted as legitimate pulses by clock buffers fed by the flip-flop's output nodes. The buffers would then output false clock pulses, thereby advancing the state of the present flip-flops. Masking the clock logic on one of the test chips made the flip-flop data advance cease, confirming the clock logic as the source of the SEU. By introducing N{sub 2} gas, at reduced pressures, into the SEU test chamber to attenuate Cf-252 particle LET's, a 24-26 MeV-cm{sup 2}/mg LET threshold was deduced. Subsequent tests, at the 88-inch cyclotron at Berkeley, established an LET threshold of 30 MeV-cm{sup 2}/mg (283 MeV Cu at 0{degrees}) for the generation of false clocks. Cyclotron SEU tests are considered definitive, while Cf-252 data usually is not. However, in this instance Cf-252 tests proved analytically useful, providing SEU characterization data that was both timely and inexpensive.

• OSTI ID: 5612361
• Report Number(s): CONF-910751--
• Conference Information: Journal Name: IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers); (United States) Journal Volume: 38:6
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

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