Soft Error Rate in Space: A Unified Analytical Approach

TL;DR

This paper introduces a physics-based analytical model to accurately estimate the Soft Error Rate in digital memory circuits exposed to space radiation, accounting for isotropic ion flow and low LET effects, aiding in the design of more resilient space electronics.

Contribution

It presents a unified analytical approach that incorporates ground test data, isotropic flow effects, and low LET contributions for SER estimation in space environments.

Findings

Model effectively predicts SER considering isotropic ion flow.

Inclusion of low LET spectrum improves accuracy for modern ICs.

Ground test parameters enable practical application of the model.

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.