Contents I. Introduction
As the dimensions and operating voltages of electronic devices are reduced to satisfy the ever-increasing demand for higher density and lower power, their sensitivity to radiation increases dramatically. Radiation can, directly or indirectly, induce localized ionization events capable of upsetting internal data states. While the upset causes a data error, the circuit itself is undamaged; thus, this type of event is called a “soft” error and the rate at which these events occur is called the soft error rate (SER). It has been established that SER in semiconductor devices is induced by three different types of radiation: alpha particles [1], [2], high-energy neutrons from cosmic radiation [3][6], and/or the interaction of cosmic ray thermal neutrons and 10B in devices containing borophosphosilicate glass (BPSG) [7][11]. In this paper, the first of a three-part work considering the impact of soft errors in advanced semiconductor devices, we review the three distinct radiation sources and their unique charge generation characteristics. We also consider methods for reducing or eliminating the various radiation components. The Uranium Series
| Species | Half-life | Mode | Energy (MeV) |
|---|---|---|---|
| U−238 | 4.196(77), 4.149(23) | ||
| Th−234 | 24.1 days | ||
| Pa−234 | 6.69 hrs | ||
| U−234 | 4.774(744.723(28) | ||
| Th−230 | 4.688(74), 4.621(26) | ||
| Ra−226 | 4.785(95), 4.602(5) | ||
| Rn−222 | 3.82 days | 5.490 | |
| Po−218 | 3.05 min | 6.002 | |
| Pb−214 | 26.8 min | ||
| Bi−214 | 19.7 min | ||
| Po−214 | 164 usec | 7.687 | |
| Pb−210 | 22.3 yrs | ||
| Bi−210 | 5.01 days | ||
| Po−210 | 138.4 days | 5.305 | |
| Pb−206 | Stable |
