GEANT4 Simulation of Nuclear Interaction Induced Soft Errors in Digital Nanoscale Electronics: Interrelation Between Proton and Heavy Ion Impacts

TL;DR

This paper presents a GEANT4-based simulation method to predict soft error rates in nanoscale electronics caused by nuclear interactions, linking proton and heavy ion impacts through secondary particle spectra.

Contribution

It introduces a self-consistent simulation approach that connects proton and heavy ion soft error data using Monte Carlo methods and validated analytical relations.

Findings

Validated simulation approach with in-flight data

Established analytical relation for data conversion

Demonstrated interrelation between proton and heavy ion impacts

Abstract

A simple and self-consistent approach has been proposed for simulation of the proton-induced soft error rate based on the heavy ion induced single event upset cross-section data and vice versa. The approach relies on the GEANT4 assisted Monte Carlo simulation of the secondary particle LET spectra produced by nuclear interactions. The method has been validated with the relevant in-flight soft error rate data for space protons and heavy ions. An approximate analytical relation is proposed and validated for a fast recalculation between the two types of experimental data.