Single-Event Multiple Transients in Conventional and Guard-Ring Hardened Inverter Chains Under Pulsed Laser and Heavy-Ion Irradiation

Single-event multiple transients (SEMTs) are investigated using an on-chip self-triggered circuit. Measured results for inverter chains of two layout designs, including a guard-ring design and a conventional design, are compared under pulsed laser and heavy-ion (Bi) irradiations. Pulsed laser exposures of different energies and Bi heavy-ion irradiation at different injection angles, including along the well direction and across the well direction, are found to produce SEMTs with different probabilities. The use of a guard-ring hardening technique is demonstrated to be very effective in reducing production of SEMTs for inverters without direct electrical connection. Charge sharing-induced SEMTs are found to have different pulsewidth distributions for angled ion incidence than normal ion or laser incidence.