Soft Error Rate in Space: A Unified Analytical Approach

Abstract

A new physics-based model for analytical calculation of Soft Error Rate (SER) in digital memory circuits under the influence of heavy ions in space orbits is proposed. This method is based on parameters that are uniquely determined from the results of ground tests under nor-mal ion incidence. It is shown that preliminary averaging over the total solid angle within the standard inverse cosine model allows one to take into account the effect of isotropic flow, which increases the effective SER. The model includes the ability to estimate the contribution to SER of the low LET spectrum region, which is very important for modern ICs with low Single Event Upset tolerance.