How to characterize the problem of SEU in processors & representative errors observed on flight

In this paper are first summarized representative examples of anomalies observed in systems operating on-board satellites as the consequence of the effects of radiation on integrated circuit, showing that single event upsets (SEU) are a major concern. An approach to predict the sensitivity to SEUs of a software application running on a processor-based architecture is then proposed. It is based on fault injection experiments allowing estimating the average rate of program dysfunctions per upset. This error rate, if combined with static cross-section figures obtained from radiation ground testing, provides an estimation of the target program error rate. The efficiency of this two-step approach was demonstrated by results obtained when applying it to various processors.