Single-Event Upsets in SRAMs With Scaling Technology Nodes Induced by Terrestrial, Nuclear Reactor, and Monoenergetic Neutrons

Abstract

Terrestrial, nuclear reactor, and monoenergetic neutron-induced single-event upset (SEU) in SRAMs with different technology nodes more than $1.50~\mu \text{m}$ –40 nm were explored experimentally. Monte Carlo simulation was accomplished in Geant4 software to calculate neutron-induced SEU cross section and energy deposition of neutron-induced secondary particles in SRAMs. The results indicate that the neutron-induced SEU cross section in SRAMs changes in a nonmonotonic way with the scaling down of technology nodes. For 0.5–0.13- $\mu \text{m}$ SRAMs from HITACHI series, SEU cross section increases with the decrease of technology node, both in terrestrial and nuclear reactor neutrons. For $0.13~\mu \text{m}$ –40 nm SRAMs from ISIS series, SEU cross section decreases with the decrease of technology node, and this trend keeps the same in 2.5 MeV, 14 MeV, and reactor neutron irradiation, respectively. The threshold energy of neutron-induced SEU decreases sharply with the decreasing technology nodes, and 16 O, 28 Si, $\alpha $ particles, and 24 Mg are the main secondary particles inducing SEU.