0000000000026524
AUTHOR
Frédéric Wrobel
Dynamic Test Methods for COTS SRAMs
International audience; In previous works, we have demonstrated the importance of dynamic mode testing of SRAM components under ionizing radiation. Several types of failures are difficult to expose when the device is tested under static (retention) mode. With the purpose of exploring and defining the most complete testing procedures and reveal the potential hazardous behaviors of SRAM devices, we present novel methods for the dynamic mode radiation testing of SRAMs. The proposed methods are based on different word address accessing schemes and data background: Fast Row, Fast Column, Pseudorandom, Adjacent (Gray) and Inverse Adjacent (Gray). These methods are evaluated by heavy ion and atmos…
Heavy-Ion Radiation Impact on a 4Mb FRAM under Different Test Conditions
The impact of heavy-ions on commercial Ferroelectric Memories (FRAMs) is analyzed. The influence of different test modes (static and dynamic) on this memory is investigated. Static test results show that the memory is prone to temporary effects occurring in the peripheral circuitry. Dynamic tests results show a high sensitivity of this memory to heavy-ions.
Direct Ionization Impact on Accelerator Mixed-Field Soft-Error Rate
We investigate, through measurements and simulations, the possible direct ionization impact on the accelerator soft-error rate (SER), not considered in standard qualification approaches. Results show that, for a broad variety of state-of-the-art commercial components considered in the 65-16-nm technological range, indirect ionization is still expected to dominate the overall SER in the accelerator mixed-field. However, the derived critical charges of the most sensitive parts, corresponding to ~0.7 fC, are expected to be at the limit of rapid direct ionization dominance and soft-error increase.
Heavy-Ion Radiation Impact on a 4 Mb FRAM Under Different Test Modes and Conditions
International audience; The impact of heavy-ions on commercial Ferroelectric Memories (FRAMs) is analyzed. The influence of dynamic and static test modes as well as several stimuli on the error rate of this memory is investigated. Static test results show that the memory is prone to temporary effects occurring in the peripheral circuitry, with a possible effect due to fluence. Dynamic tests results show a high sensitivity of this memory to switching activity of this peripheral circuitry.
A Methodology for the Analysis of Memory Response to Radiation through Bitmap Superposition and Slicing
A methodology is proposed for the statistical analysis of memory radiation test data, with the aim of identifying trends in the single-even upset (SEU) distribution. The treated case study is a 65nm SRAM irradiated with neutrons, protons and heavy-ions.
0.1-10 MeV Neutron Soft Error Rate in Accelerator and Atmospheric Environments
Neutrons with energies between 0.1-10 MeV can significantly impact the Soft Error Rate (SER) in SRAMs manufactured in scaled technologies, with respect to high-energy neutrons. Their contribution is evaluated in accelerator, ground level and avionic (12 km of altitude) environments. Experimental cross sections were measured with monoenergetic neutrons from 144 keV to 17 MeV, and results benchmarked with Monte Carlo simulations. It was found that even 144 keV neutrons can induce upsets due to elastic scattering. Moreover, neutrons in the 0.1-10 MeV energy range can induce more than 60% of the overall upset rate in accelerator applications, while their contribution can exceed 18% in avionics.…
Soft errors in commercial off-the-shelf static random access memories
International audience; This article reviews state-of-the-art techniques for the evaluation of the effect of radiation on static random access memory (SRAM). We detailed irradiation test techniques and results from irradiation experiments with several types of particles. Two commercial SRAMs, in 90 and 65 nm technology nodes, were considered as case studies. Besides the basic static and dynamic test modes, advanced stimuli for the irradiation tests were introduced, as well as statistical post-processing techniques allowing for deeper analysis of the correlations between bit-flip cross-sections and design/architectural characteristics of the memory device. Further insight is provided on the …
Real-Time SRAM Based Particle Detector
International audience; Monitoring radiative environments is of great importance, especially for facilities hosting large particle accelerators and nuclear power plants. Such facilities make use of monitoring systems that are usually composed of different sensors to evaluate the intensity of the ambient radiation field in different locations. In this paper, we propose an SRAM-based monitor that works in dynamic mode (memory continuously accessed), according to data gathered by irradiating our sensor in several particle accelerator facilities. The dynamic mode of operation allows for real-time sensing, especially when the particle fluence is high. In order to ensure the efficiency of the det…
SEE on Different Layers of Stacked-SRAMs
International audience; This paper presents heavy-ion and proton radiation test results of a 90 nm COTS SRAM with stacked structure. Radiation tests were made using high penetration heavy-ion cocktails at the HIF (Belgium) and at RADEF (Finland) as well as low energy protons at RADEF. The heavy-ion SEU cross-section showed an unusual profile with a peak at the lowest LET (heavy-ion with the highest penetration range). The discrepancy is due to the fact that the SRAM is constituted of two vertically stacked dice. The impact of proton testing on the response of both stacked dice is presented. The results are discussed and the SEU cross-sections of the upper and lower layers are compared. The …
Impact of Electrical Stress and Neutron Irradiation on Reliability of Silicon Carbide Power MOSFET
International audience; The combined effects of electrical stress and neutron irradiation of the last generation of commercial discrete silicon carbide power MOSFETs are studied. The single-event burnout (SEB) sensitivity during neutron irradiation is analyzed for unstressed and electrically stressed devices. For surviving devices, a comprehensive study of the breakdown voltage degradation is performed by coupling the electrical stress and irradiation effects. In addition, mutual influences between electrical stress and radiative constraints are investigated through TCAD modeling.
Single-Event Effects in the Peripheral Circuitry of a Commercial Ferroelectric Random Access Memory
International audience; This paper identifies the failure modes of a commercial 130-nm ferroelectric random access memory. The devices were irradiated with heavy-ion and pulsed focused X-ray beams. Various failure modes are observed, which generate characteristic error patterns, affecting isolated bits, words, groups of pages, and sometimes entire regions of the memory array. The underlying mechanisms are discussed.
Investigation on MCU Clustering Methodologies for Cross-Section Estimation of RAMs
International audience; Various failure scenarios may occur during irradiation testing of SRAMs, which may generate different characteristic Multiple Cell Upset (MCU) error patterns. This work proposes a method based on spatial and temporal criteria to identify them.
Methodologies for the Statistical Analysis of Memory Response to Radiation
International audience; Methodologies are proposed for in-depth statistical analysis of Single Event Upset data. The motivation for using these methodologies is to obtain precise information on the intrinsic defects and weaknesses of the tested devices, and to gain insight on their failure mechanisms, at no additional cost. The case study is a 65 nm SRAM irradiated with neutrons, protons and heavy ions. This publication is an extended version of a previous study.