ASTM F1192-00(2006)
(Guide)Standard Guide for the Measurement of Single Event Phenomena (SEP) Induced by Heavy Ion Irradiation of Semiconductor Devices
Standard Guide for the Measurement of Single Event Phenomena (SEP) Induced by Heavy Ion Irradiation of Semiconductor Devices
SIGNIFICANCE AND USE
Many modern integrated circuits, power transistors, and other devices experience SEP when exposed to cosmic rays in interplanetary space, in satellite orbits or during a short passage through trapped radiation belts. It is essential to be able to predict the SEP rate for a specific environment in order to establish proper techniques to counter the effects of such upsets in proposed systems. As the technology moves toward higher density ICs, the problem is likely to become even more acute.
This guide is intended to assist experimenters in performing ground tests to yield data enabling SEP predictions to be made.
SCOPE
1.1 This guide defines the requirements and procedures for testing integrated circuits and other devices for the effects of single event phenomena (SEP) induced by irradiation with heavy ions having an atomic number Z 2. This description specifically excludes the effects of neutrons, protons, and other lighter particles that may induce SEP via another mechanism. SEP includes any manifestation of upset induced by a single ion strike, including soft errors (one or more simultaneous reversible bit flips), hard errors (irreversible bit flips), latchup (permanent high conducting state), transients induced in combinatorial devices which may introduce a soft error in nearby circuits, power field effect transistor (FET) burn-out and gate rupture. This test may be considered to be destructive because it often involves the removal of device lids prior to irradiation. Bit flips are usually associated with digital devices and latchup is usually confined to bulk complementary metal oxide semiconductor, (CMOS) devices, but heavy ion induced SEP is also observed in combinatorial logic programmable read only memory, (PROMs), and certain linear devices that may respond to a heavy ion induced charge transient. Power transitors may be tested by the procedure called out in Method 1080 of MIL STD 750.
1.2 The procedures described here can be used to simulate and predict SEP arising from the natural space environment, including galactic cosmic rays, planetary trapped ions and solar flares. The techniques do not, however, simulate heavy ion beam effects proposed for military programs. The end product of the test is a plot of the SEP cross section (the number of upsets per unit fluence) as a function of ion LET (linear energy transfer, or ionization deposited along the ion's path through the semiconductor). This data can be combined with the system's heavy ion environment to estimate a system upset rate.
1.3 Although protons can cause SEP, they are not included in this guide. A separate guide addressing proton induced SEP is being considered.
1.4 The values stated in International System of Units (SI) are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measurement are included in this guide.
This standard does not purport to address all of the safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appropriate safety and health practices and determine the applicability of regulatory limitations prior to use.
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Designation:F1192–00 (Reapproved 2006)
Standard Guide for the
Measurement of Single Event Phenomena (SEP) Induced by
Heavy Ion Irradiation of Semiconductor Devices
This standard is issued under the fixed designation F1192; the number immediately following the designation indicates the year of
original adoption or, in the case of revision, the year of last revision. A number in parentheses indicates the year of last reapproval. A
superscript epsilon (´) indicates an editorial change since the last revision or reapproval.
This standard has been approved for use by agencies of the Department of Defense.
1. Scope 1.3 Although protons can cause SEP, they are not included
in this guide.Aseparate guide addressing proton induced SEP
1.1 This guide defines the requirements and procedures for
is being considered.
testing integrated circuits and other devices for the effects of
1.4 The values stated in International System of Units (SI)
single event phenomena (SEP) induced by irradiation with
are to be regarded as standard. No other units of measurement
heavy ions having an atomic number Z$ 2. This description
are included in this guide.
specifically excludes the effects of neutrons, protons, and other
1.5 This standard does not purport to address all of the
lighter particles that may induce SEP via another mechanism.
safety concerns, if any, associated with its use. It is the
SEP includes any manifestation of upset induced by a single
responsibility of the user of this standard to establish appro-
ion strike, including soft errors (one or more simultaneous
priate safety and health practices and determine the applica-
reversible bit flips), hard errors (irreversible bit flips), latchup
bility of regulatory limitations prior to use.
(permanent high conducting state), transients induced in com-
binatorial devices which may introduce a soft error in nearby
2. Referenced Documents
circuits, power field effect transistor (FET) burn-out and gate
2.1 Military Standard:
rupture. This test may be considered to be destructive because
750 Method 1080
it often involves the removal of device lids prior to irradiation.
Bit flips are usually associated with digital devices and latchup
3. Terminology
is usually confined to bulk complementary metal oxide semi-
3.1 Definitions of Terms Specific to This Standard:
conductor, (CMOS) devices, but heavy ion induced SEPis also
3.1.1 DUT—device under test.
observed in combinatorial logic programmable read only
3.1.2 fluence—the flux integrated over time, expressed as
memory, (PROMs), and certain linear devices that may re-
ions/cm .
spondtoaheavyioninducedchargetransient.Powertransitors
3.1.3 flux—the number of ions/s passing through a one cm
may be tested by the procedure called out in Method 1080 of
area perpendicular to the beam (ions/cm -s).
MIL STD 750.
3.1.4 LET—the linear energy transfer, also known as the
1.2 The procedures described here can be used to simulate
stopping power dE/dx, is the amount of energy deposited per
and predict SEP arising from the natural space environment,
unit length along the path of the incident ion, typically
includinggalacticcosmicrays,planetarytrappedionsandsolar
expressed as MeV-cm /mg.
flares. The techniques do not, however, simulate heavy ion
3.1.4.1 Discussion—LET values are obtained by dividing
beam effects proposed for military programs. The end product
the energy per unit track length by the density of the irradiated
of the test is a plot of the SEP cross section (the number of
medium. Since the energy lost along the track generates
upsets per unit fluence) as a function of ion LET(linear energy
electron-hole pairs, one can also express LET as charge
transfer, or ionization deposited along the ion’s path through
deposited per unit path length (for example, picocoulombs/
the semiconductor). This data can be combined with the
micron) if it is known how much energy is required to generate
system’s heavy ion environment to estimate a system upset
an electron-hole pair in the irradiated material. (For silicon,
rate.
3.62 eV is required per electron-hole pair.)
A correction, important for lower energy ions in particular, is made
This guide is under the jurisdiction of ASTM Committee F01 on Electronics
to allow for the loss of ion energy after it has penetrated overlayers
and is the direct responsibility of Subcommittee F01.11 on Nuclear and Space
Radiation Effects.
Current edition approved July 1, 2006. Published July 2006. Originally approved
in 1988. Last previous edition approved in 2000 as F1192 – 00. DOI: 10.1520/ Available from Standardization Documents Order Desk, Bldg. 4, Section D,
F1192-00R06. 700 Robbins Ave., Philadelphia, PA 19111–5094.
Copyright © ASTM International, 100 Barr Harbor Drive, PO Box C700, West Conshohocken, PA 19428-2959, United States.
F1192–00 (2006)
above the device sensitive volume. Thus the ion’s energy E at the
where u = angle of the beam with respect to the perpendicu-
sensitive volume is related to its initial energy E as:
O
larity to the chip. The cross section may have units such as
2 2 2
~t/cosu! cm /device or cm /bit or µm /bit. In the limit of high LET
dE~x!
E 5 E 2 dx
S D
s o *
dx
o (whichdependsontheparticulardevice),theSEPcrosssection
will have an area equal to the sensitive area of the device (with
where t is the thickness of the overlayer and u is the angle of the
the boundaries extended to allow for possible diffusion of
incident beam with respect to the surface normal. The appropriate LET
charge from an adjacent ion strike). If any ion causes multiple
would thus correspond to the modified energy E.
upsets per strike, the SEP cross section will be proportionally
Avery important concept, but one which is by no means universally
higher. If the thin region waferlike assumption for the shape of
true, is the effective LET. The effective LET applies for those soft error
mechanisms where the device susceptibility depends, in reality, on the the sensitive volume does not apply, then the SEPcross section
charge deposited within a sensitive volume that is thin like a wafer. By
data become a complicated function of incident ion angle. As
equating the charge deposited at normal incidence to that deposited by
ageneralrule,highangletestsaretobeavoidedwhenanormal
an ion with incident angle u, we obtain:
incident ion of the same LET is available.
LET~effective!5 LET~normal!/cosuu, 60°
A limiting or asymptotic cross section is sometimes mea-
sured at high LET whenever all particles impinging on a
Becauseofthisrelationship,onecansometimestestwithasingleion
sensitive area of the device cause upset. One can establish this
at two different angles to correspond to two different (effective) LETs.
value if two measurements, having a different high LET,
Note that the effective LET at high angles may not be a realistic
exhibit the same cross sections.
measure (see also 6.6). Note also that the above relationship breaks
down when the lateral dimensions of the sensitive volume are compa- 3.1.14 single event transients, (SET)—SET’s are SE-caused
rable to its depth, as is the case with VLSI and other modern high
electrical transients that are propagated to the outputs of
density ICs.
combinational logic IC’s. Depending upon system application
of these combinational logic IC’s, SET’s can cause system
3.1.5 single event burnout—SEB may occur as a result of a
SEU.
single ion strike. Here a power transistor sustains a high
3.1.15 single event upset, (SEU)—comprise soft upsets and
drain-source current condition, that usually culminates in
hard faults.
device destruction. Sometimes known as SEBO.
3.1.16 soft upset— a soft upset is the change of state of a
3.1.6 single event effects—SEE is a term used earlier to
single latched logic state from one to zero, or vice versa. The
describe many of the effects now included in the term SEP.
upset is 88soft” if the latch can be rewritten and behave
3.1.7 single event gate rupture— SEGR may occur as a
normally thereafter.
result of a single ion strike. Here a power transistor sustains a
3.1.17 threshold LET—for a given device, the threshold
high gate current as a result of damage of the gate oxide.
LET is defined as the minimum LET that a particle must have
Sometimes known as SEGD.
to cause a SEU at u = 0 for a specified fluence (for example, 10
3.1.8 single event functionality interrupt—SEFI may occur 2
6 ions/cm ). In some of the literature, the threshold LETis also
as a result of a single ion striking a special device node, used
sometimes defined as that LETvalue where the cross section is
for an electrical functionality test.
some fraction of the 88limiting” cross section, but this defini-
3.1.9 single event hard fault—often called hard error, is a
tion is not endorsed herein.
permanent, unalterable change of state that is typically associ-
3.2 Acronyms:Abbreviations:
ated with permanent damage to one or more of the materials
3.2.1 ALS—advanced low power Schottky.
comprising the affected device.
3.2.2 CMOS—complementary metal oxide semiconductor
3.1.10 single event latchup—SEL is an abnormal low im-
device.
pedance, high-current density state induced in an integrated
3.2.3 FET—field effect transistor.
circuit that embodies a parasitic pnpn structure operating as a
3.2.4 IC—integrated circuit.
silicon controlled rectifier.
3.2.5 NMOS—n-type-channel metal oxide semiconductor
3.1.11 single event phenomena—SEP is the broad category
device.
of all semiconductor device responses to a single hit from an
3.2.6 PMOS—p-type-channel metal oxide semiconductor
energeticparticle.Thistermwouldalsoincludeeffectsinduced
device.
by neutrons and protons, as well as the response of power
3.2.7 PROM—programmable read only memory.
transistors—categories not included in this guide.
3.2.8 RAM—random access memory.
3.1.12 single event transient—SETis a self correcting upset
3.2.9 VLSI—very large scale integrated circuit.
(change) of state of a bit induced by a single ion strike.
3.1.13 SEP cross section—is a derived quantity equal to the 4. Summary of Guide
number of SEP events per unit fluence.
4.1 The SEP test consists of irradiation of a device with a
3.1.13.1 Discussion—For those situations that meet the
prescribed heavy ion beam of known energy and flux in such a
criteria described for usage of an effective LET (see 3.1.4), the
waythatthenumberofsingleeventupsetsorotherphenomena
SEPcross section can be extended to include beams impinging
can be detected as a function of the beam fluence (particles/
at an oblique angle as follows:
cm ). For the case where latchup is observed, a series of
number of upsets measurements is required in which the fluence is recorded at
s5
fluence 3 cosu which latchup occurs, in order to obtain an average fluence.
F1192–00 (2006)
4.2 The beam LET, equivalent to the ion’s stopping power, within acceptable error limits (see 8.2.7.2). In practice, a
7 2
dE/dx, (energy/distance), is a fundamental measurement vari- fluence of 10 ions/cm will often meet these requirements,
able. A full device characterization requires irradiation with and
beams of several different LETs that in turn requires changing 4.4.9 Accumulated Total Dose—The total accumulated dose
the ion species, energy, or, in some cases, angle of incidence shall be recorded for each device. However, it should be noted
with respect to the chip surface. that the average dose actually represents a few heavy ion
tracks,<10nmindiameter,ineachchargecollectionregion,so
4.3 The final useful end product is a plot of the upset rate or
this dose may affect the device physics differently than a
cross section as a function of the beam LET or, equivalently, a
uniform(forexample,gamma)dosedeposition.Inparticular,it
plotoftheaveragefluencetocauseupsetasafunctionofbeam
is sometimes observed that accumulated dose delivered by
LET. These comments presume that LET, independent of Z,is
heavy ions is less damaging than that delivered with uniform
a determinant of SE vulnerability. In cases where charge
density (or charge density and total charge) per unit distance dose deposition.
4.4.10 Range of Ions— The range or penetration depth of
determine device response to SEs, results provided solely in
terms of LET may be incomplete or inaccurate, or both. the energetic ions is an important consideration. An adequate
range is especially crucial in detecting latchup, because the
4.4 Test Conditions and Restrictions—Because many fac-
relevant junction is often buried deep below the active chip.
tors enter into the effects of radiation on the device, parties to
Some test requirements specify an ion range of >30 µm. The
thetestshouldestablishandrecordthetestconditionstoensure
U.C. Berkeley 88-inch cyclotron and the Brookhaven National
test validity and to facilitate comparison with data obtained by
Laboratory Van de Graaff have adequate energy for most ions,
other experimenters testing the same type of device. Important
but not all. Gold data at BNLis frequently too limited in range
factors which must be considered are:
to give consistent results when compared to nearby ions of the
4.4.1 Device Appraisal— A review of existing device data
periodic table. Medium-energy sources, such as the K500
to establish basic test procedures and limits (see 8.1),
cyclotron at Texas A & M and the TASCC cyclotron at Chalk
4.4.2 Radiation Source—Thetypeandcharacteristicsofthe
River, Canada, easily satisfy all range requirements. High-
heavy ion source to be used (see 7.1),
energy machines that simulate cosmic ray energies, such as
4.4.3 Operating Conditions—The description of the testing
GANIL (Caen, France) and the cyclotron at Darmstadt, Ger-
procedure, electrical biases, input vectors, temperature range,
many, provide greater range.
current-limiting conditions, clocking rates, reset conditions,
etc., must be established (see Sections 6, 7, and 8),
5. Significance and Use
4.4.4 Experimental Set-Up—The physical arrangement of
5.1 Many modern integrated circuits, power transistors, and
the accelerator beam, dosimetry electronics, test device,
other devices experience SEP when exposed to cosmic rays in
vacuum chamber, cabling and any other mechanical or electri-
interplanetaryspace,insatelliteorbitsorduringashortpassage
cal elements of the test (see Section 7),
through trapped radiation belts. It is essential to be able to
4.4.5 Upset Detection— The basis for establishing upset
predict the SEP rate for a specific environment in order to
must be defined (for example, by comparison of the test device
establishpropertechniquestocountertheeffectsofsuchupsets
response with some reference states, or by comparison of
in proposed systems. As the technology moves toward higher
post-irradiationbitpatternswiththepre-irradiationpattern,and
dens
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