Simulation of pulsed-ionizing-radiation-induced errors in CMOS memory circuits
Effects of transient ionizing radiation on complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) memory circuits was studied by computer simulation. Simulation results have uncovered the dominant mechanism leading to information loss (upset) in dense (CMOS) circuits: rail span collapse. This effect is the catastrophic reduction in the local power supply at a RAM cell location due to the conglomerate radiation-induced photocurrents from all other RAM cells flowing through the power-supply-interconnect distribution. Rail-span collapse leads to reduced RAM cell-noise margins and can predicate upset. Results show that rail-span collapse in the dominant pulsed radiation effect in many memory circuits, preempting local circuit responses to the radiation. Several techniques to model power-supply noise, such as that arising from rail span collapse, are presented in this work. These include an analytical model for design optimization against these effects, a hierarchical computer-analysis technique for efficient power bus noise simulation in arrayed circuits, such as memories, and a complete circuit-simulation tool for noise margin analysis of circuits with arbitrary topologies.
- Research Organization:
- North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh (USA)
- OSTI ID:
- 7255112
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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Related Subjects
420800* -- Engineering-- Electronic Circuits & Devices-- (-1989)
440200 -- Radiation Effects on Instrument Components
Instruments
or Electronic Systems
46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND TECHNOLOGY
CURRENTS
DIGITAL CIRCUITS
ELECTRIC CURRENTS
ELECTRONIC CIRCUITS
IONIZING RADIATIONS
MEMORY DEVICES
PHOTOCURRENTS
PHYSICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
PULSES
RADIATION EFFECTS
RADIATIONS