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Heavy ion energy influence on multiple-cell upsets in small sensitive volumes: from standard to high energies

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Abstract

The 28 nm process has a high cost-performance ratio and has gradually become the standard for the field of radiation-hardened devices. However, owing to the minimum physical gate length of only 35 nm, the physical area of a standard 6T SRAM unit is approximately \(0.16\,\upmu \hbox{m}^{2}\), resulting in a significant enhancement of multi-cell charge-sharing effects. Multiple-cell upsets (MCUs) have become the primary physical mechanism behind single-event upsets (SEUs) in advanced nanometer node devices. The range of ionization track effects increases with higher ion energies, and spacecraft in orbit primarily experience SEUs caused by high-energy ions. However, ground accelerator experiments have mainly obtained low-energy ion irradiation data. Therefore, the impact of ion energy on the SEU cross section, charge collection mechanisms, and MCU patterns and quantities in advanced nanometer devices remains unclear. In this study, based on the experimental platform of the Heavy Ion Research Facility in Lanzhou, low- and high-energy heavy-ion beams were used to study the SEUs of 28 nm SRAM devices. The influence of ion energy on the charge collection processes of small-sensitive-volume devices, MCU patterns, and upset cross sections was obtained, and the applicable range of the inverse cosine law was clarified. The findings of this study are an important guide for the accurate evaluation of SEUs in advanced nanometer devices and for the development of radiation-hardening techniques.

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Data availability statement

The data that support the findings of this study are openly available in Science Data Bank at https://cstr.cn/31253.11.sciencedb.16436 and https://www.doi.org/10.57760/sciencedb.16436.

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Acknowledgements

We thank the members of the Heavy Ion Research Facility in Lanzhou (HIRFL) and the HI-13 Tandem Accelerator for their support during testing.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Modern Physics, Chinese Academy of Science, Lanzhou, 730000, China

    Yang Jiao, **-Hu Yang, Yu-Zhu Liu, Qi-Yu Chen, **ao-Yu Yan, Shi-Wei Zhao, You-Mei Sun, Pei-**ong Zhao & Jie Liu

  2. University of Chinese Academy of Science, Bei**g, 100049, China

    Yang Jiao, **-Hu Yang, Yu-Zhu Liu, Qi-Yu Chen, **ao-Yu Yan & Shi-Wei Zhao

  3. Spallation Neutron Source Science Center, Dongguan, 523803, China

    Li-Hua Mo

  4. China Electronics Technology Group Corporation No. 58 Research Institute, Wuxi, 214000, China

    Ya-Nan Yin

  5. Bei**g Microelectronics Technology Institute, Bei**g, 100084, China

    Liang Wang

  6. Institute of Microelectronics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Bei**g, 100029, China

    Bo Li

  7. Key Laboratory of Science and Technology on Silicon Devices, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Bei**g, 100029, China

    Bo Li

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  1. Yang Jiao
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Contributions

All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by Yang Jiao, Li-Hua Mo, **-Hu Yang and Pei-**ong Zhao. The first draft of the manuscript was written by Yang Jiao and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.

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Correspondence to Pei-**ong Zhao or Jie Liu.

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The authors declare that they have no Conflict of interest.

Additional information

This work was supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 12105341 and 12035019) and the opening fund of Key Laboratory of Silicon Device and Technology, Chinese Academy of Sciences (No. KLSDTJJ2022-3).

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Jiao, Y., Mo, LH., Yang, JH. et al. Heavy ion energy influence on multiple-cell upsets in small sensitive volumes: from standard to high energies. NUCL SCI TECH 35, 85 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s41365-024-01427-z

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