Production and propagation of single-event transients in high-speed digital logic ICs

Abstract

The production and propagation of single-event transients in scaled metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) digital logic circuits are examined. Scaling trends to the 100-nm technology node are explored using three-dimensional mixed-level simulations, including both bulk CMOS and silicon-on-insulator (SOI) technologies. Significant transients in deep submicron circuits are predicted for particle strikes with linear energy transfer as low as 2 MeV-cm/sup 2//mg, and unattenuated propagation of such transients can occur in bulk CMOS circuits at the 100-nm technology node. Transients approaching 1 ns in duration are predicted in bulk CMOS circuits. Body-tied SOI circuits produce much shorter transients than their bulk counterparts, making them more amenable to transient filtering schemes based on temporal redundancy. Body-tied SOI circuits also maintain a significant advantage in single-event transient immunity with scaling.