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

Conference · Sun Dec 01 00:00:00 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-; CODEN: IETNA
• Journal Information: IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers); (United States), Vol. 38:6; Conference: Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers (IEEE) annual international nuclear and space radiation effects conference, San Diego, CA (United States), 15-19 Jul 1991; ISSN 0018-9499
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS//MATHEMATICS, COMPUTING, AND INFORMATION SCIENCE
71 CLASSICAL AND QUANTUM MECHANICS
GENERAL PHYSICS
MICROPROCESSORS
RADIATION EFFECTS
AMPLITUDES
CYCLOTRONS
ELECTRICAL TRANSIENTS
FLIP-FLOP CIRCUITS
GASES
NITROGEN
PRESSURE DEPENDENCE
PULSES
SATELLITES
SIMULATION
TESTING
THRESHOLD ENERGY
VARIATIONS
ACCELERATORS
COMPUTERS
CYCLIC ACCELERATORS
ELECTRONIC CIRCUITS
ELEMENTS
ENERGY
FLUIDS
MICROELECTRONIC CIRCUITS
MULTIVIBRATORS
NONMETALS
PULSE CIRCUITS
TRANSIENTS
VOLTAGE DROP
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