Single event transient mitigation techniques for a cross-coupled LC oscillator, including a single-event transient hardened CMOS LC-VCO circuit

Abstract

Single-event transients (SETs) due to heavy-ion (HI) strikes adversely affect the electronic circuits in the sub-100 nm regime in the radiation environment. This study proposes techniques to mitigate SETs in CMOS voltage-controlled oscillators (VCOs) without affecting the circuit specifications. A circuit asymmetry technique is used for faster recovery of the oscillator in the event of a single event transient (SET) caused by an ion hit. Also, a new SET tolerant inductor capacitor-voltage controlled oscillator (LC-VCO) topology is proposed for a radiation environment that shows reduced phase displacement, amplitude displacement, and recovery time. A comparison has been made with various LC-VCOs that have an inherent rad-hard capability which proves a significant improvement in SET sensitivity.