Single-Event Analysis and Hardening of Mixed-Signal Circuit Interfaces in High-Speed Communications Devices

High-speed communication systems typically employ a mix of signal types and circuit topologies in order to optimize efficient data propagation. Current-mode logic is the industry standard for high-speed CMOS circuit design due to the inherent speed of current steering. However, current-mode output voltages are not rail-to-rail and therefore require a conversion to a full-swing signal for downstream CMOS logic. This interface between current-mode and CMOS logic is found to be vulnerable to single-event effects. A radiation-hardened-by-design solution is proposed for such interfaces.