Shot-Noise-Induced Failure in Nanoscale Flip-Flops Part II: Failure Rates in 10-nm Ultimate CMOS

In part I of this paper, a robust numerical framework based on Markov queueing theory and nonequilibrium Green´s functions was presented to model the fluctuations in a CMOS flip-flop, which could potentially give rise to logic upsets. In part II, this framework is used to investigate quantitatively the failure in time for end-of-roadmap CMOS devices at the L_G= 10 nm length scale as a function of various parameters such as size, temperature, threshold voltage, process-induced threshold variation, and V_DD. It is shown quantitatively that process-induced variation and/or use of ultralow V_DD make the devices extremely vulnerable to noise. Higher temperatures give rise to higher failure rates through increased thermal fluctuations and through reduced I_on/I_off ratios, due to an inverse dependence of the subthreshold slope on temperature. The effect of nonlinear voltage-dependent node capacitors are modeled via the use of arbitrary-shaped queues, and the corresponding results are reported.