Soft Error Tolerant Bandgap Reference Utilizing Single-Event Transient Filtering Technique

Bandgap is a critical block for numerous electronic systems, which provides stable voltage reference for multiple submodules over process, voltage supply, and temperature (PVT) fluctuations. This article first proposes a radiation-hardened-by-design (RHBD) technique, which can automatically detect single-event transient (SET) disturbances and convert them into nanosecond-scale alternating signals, which can then be easily filtered by an ON-chip filter. Theoretically, this technique can reduce SET amplitude to a negligible level regardless of bandgap structure and the output dc voltage. Laser experiments indicate that the SET pulse amplitude can be reduced from 896 to 48 mV under 800-pJ laser strike. This technique provides new guidance for SET mitigation on constant dc voltage and is widely applicable for bandgap radiation-hardening design.