Feasibility study of a table-based SET-pulse estimation in logic cells from heavy-ion-induced transient currents measured in a single MOSFET

A table-based technique for estimating single-event transient pulses is evaluated in the most crucial case for bulk MOSFET technologies where an ion penetrates the drain region. A device model of a bulk MOSFET is built in a 2-D numerical device simulation framework, and heavy-ion-induced transient currents flowing through its drain terminal are calculated. From the currents, single-event transient voltage pulses in an inverter are estimated with the table-based estimation technique. The results are compared with ones simulated in the mixed mode with the same device model and circuit configuration. The estimated are comparable to the results in the mixed-mode device simulations. Moreover, the estimation accuracy can be improved using a drain-capacitance compensation technique. An extrapolation technique based on the drain-voltage dependency of heavy-ion-induced transient currents is also presented to reduce the experimental costs for modeling. Index Terms--Graphical derivation, heavy ions, integrated circuit radiation effects, look-up table modeling, semiconductor device radiation effects, single event transients (SETs), transient currents.