Title :
Factors that impact the critical charge of memory elements
Author :
Heijmen, Tino ; Giot, Damien ; Roche, Philippe
Author_Institution :
Philips Res. Labs., Eindhoven
Abstract :
In the current paper we investigate the factors that affect the critical charge (Qcrit) for a soft error in a memory cell. Also the spread of Qcrit due to variations in the transistor model parameters is studied. The role of the current waveform that is applied in the simulation, the current pulse width, and the inclusion of back-end parasitics are discussed. Furthermore, we treat the impact on Q crit of supply voltage, temperature, and process variant. Also, the paper deals with the effects of parameter variations through the node capacitance and the PMOS ON-current. Finally, we show the importance of the spread in Qcrit and demonstrate that detailed knowledge about the current-pulse width is necessary for accurate SER estimation
Keywords :
integrated circuit reliability; radiation effects; semiconductor device models; transistors; PMOS ON-current; back-end parasitics; current pulse width; current waveform; memory cell; memory elements critical charge; node capacitance; parameter variations; process variant; soft error rate estimation; supply voltage; temperature; transistor model parameters; Alpha particles; CMOS integrated circuits; Circuit simulation; Design automation; Laboratories; Microelectronics; Neutrons; Nuclear power generation; Radioactive materials; Random access memory;
Conference_Titel :
On-Line Testing Symposium, 2006. IOLTS 2006. 12th IEEE International
Conference_Location :
Lake Como
Print_ISBN :
0-7695-2620-9
DOI :
10.1109/IOLTS.2006.35
