Radiation test flux selection methodology to optimize SEE observability on systems with different operating modes

Systems and Systems on Chip (SoCs) under radiation can have complex failure modes with different probabilities. A system may have, due to its different modalities of operation and depending on the selected test flux, a probability that the failure with the highest probability of occurrence masks the others, preventing them from being detected. Flux selection becomes a key parameter in system-level testing to increase the observability of such events and prevent them from remaining hidden. The inability to detect and identify these events could lead to unexpected failures during operation. This work proposes a methodology to evaluate the degree of observability of low probability fault modes by varying the flux and demonstrates its validity through measurements.