Comprehensive non-functional analysis of combinational circuits vulnerability to single event transients

Abstract

The progressive shrinking of device sizes in advanced technologies leads to miniaturization and performance improvements. However, ultra-deep sub-micron technologies are more vulnerable to different types of uncertainties, parametric variations, and interference. In this paper, we propose a methodology to model and analyze the behavior of a system in the presence of Single Event Transients (SETs). The problem of SET propagation was modeled as a satisfiability problem using different satisfiability modulo theories. The SET width and timing constraints are formulated as a difference logic constraint satisfaction formulation. This formulation utilizes concepts from static timing analysis to efficiently evaluate the required time and width for the SET to be latched. Next, the proposed model is analyzed using efficient SMT solvers for a set of nonfunctional assertions to investigate SETs propagation. Based on the results of this analysis, new fault observability estimates are computed. These values are then used to compute the soft error rate. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed SMT approach provides better runtime then contemporary techniques.