RPP Model Trends Across Technology Nodes for the MC Simulation of SEUs in Commercial Bulk Planar CMOS SRAMs Under Proton Irradiation

Abstract

The ubiquitous use of electronic devices in high-radiation environments requires robust methods for assessing and improving their resilience against single-event effects (SEEs) and, especially, single-event upsets (SEUs). In this study, SEU production induced by protons below 500 MeV in three commercial bulk planar static random access memories (SRAMs) manufactured on different standard CMOS technology nodes (from 250 to 40 nm) is investigated employing the Monte Carlo (MC) particle-transport code FLUKA. A rectangular parallelepiped (RPP) model is adopted to describe the device geometry, relying on the sensitive volume (SV) and the critical charge as effective parameters. Optimal values of these two parameters that maximize the agreement between simulated and experimental SEU production cross sections are found for the three considered devices. Parameter trends in the RPP model across technology nodes are identified, thus providing practical guidelines when modeling components manufactured on other technology nodes.