Influence of User-Controlled Parameters in Alpha Particle-Induced Single-Event Error Rates in Commercial SRAM Cells

Alpha particles are a critical reliability problem for advanced technologies. The critical charge (Qcrit) required to upset an SRAM cell being small, SRAMs are extremely vulnerable to the low level of ionization produced by alpha particles. This paper reports extensive tests over a wide range of technology nodes on CMOS SRAMs to study the influence of various user-controlled parameters such as operating voltage, data pattern, operating frequency and operational-mode on alpha particle induced single-event upsets rates.