Abstract

Single event upsets (SEUs) are transient errors that occur when energetic particles interact with sensitive areas of digital integrated circuit (IC) memories and logic. SEUs pose a serious reliability problem for space-based digital systems because of the large flux of energetic ions in cosmic rays and the Earth’s radiation belts. While a large amount of effort has been devoted to measurements of the time-integrated charge produced by the passage of an energetic ion (charge collection),¹ it previously had not been possible to temporally resolve the dynamical evolution of the transients. Such information is essential for a complete understanding of SEU phenomena in complex ICs.

© 1991 Optical Society of America