Nuclear models for proton induced upsets: a critical comparison

This work studies the status of the nuclear models used for estimating single event upsets sensitivity and other radiation effects, induced by protons in microelectronic devices. An extended comparison is made between the calculations of the two most developed models, the intranuclear cascade model (used for instant by the HETC code) and the pre-equilibrium exciton (PEqEx) model. The new data base ENDF/B-VI (calculated using PEqEx) is used to clarify the role of the various interactions of primary protons with Si nuclei in the energy deposition in silicon. In particular, we consider the light nuclear reaction products: secondary protons and α particles. A comparison of simulated deposition spectra of surface barrier detectors with experimental data is shown. The role of reaction products created in the surrounding of the sensitive volume is discussed.