Analysis of Temporal Masking Effects on Master- and Slave-Type Flip-Flop SEUs and Related Applications

Analysis of temporal masking effects of single-event upsets (SEUs) on master-slave flip-flops (FFs) is provided, considering the difference of SEU cross sections between master and slave latches. An improved model of temporal masking effects of SEUs in master-slave FFs is proposed and demonstrated through alpha-particle single-event effect (SEE) experiments. Based on the improved model, an effective and accurate methodology to quantitatively evaluate single-event transient and SEU-induced error cross sections of FF chains is proposed. Implications of SEE hardening for sequential circuits are discussed.