Impact of Ion Energy and Species on Single Event Effects Analysis

Abstract

Experimental evidence and Monte-Carlo simulations for several technologies show that accurate SEE response predictions depend on a detailed description of the variability of radiation events (e.g., nuclear reactions), as opposed to the classical single-valued LET parameter. Rate predictions conducted with this simulation framework exhibit excellent agreement with the average observed SEU rate on NASA's MESSENGER mission to Mercury, while a prediction from the traditional IRPP method, which does not include the contribution from ion-ion reactions, falls well below the observed rate. While rate predictions depend on availability of technology information, the approach described here is sufficiently flexible that reasonably accurate results describing the response to irradiation can be obtained even in the absence of detailed information about the device geometry and fabrication process.