FPGA Radiation and Reliability Data

We provide radiation test data to help you design products for the high reliability market. We provide data for Single-Event Effects (SEEs) and Total Ionizing Dose (TID).

Ionizing radiation can cause unwanted effects in semiconductor devices. Energetic protons, neutrons, heavy ions and alpha particles can strike sensitive regions of the transistor, causing failures known as Single-Event Effects (SEEs). SEEs include Single-Event Upsets (SEUs) and Single-Event Latch-Ups (SELs).

SEUs occur when high-energy ionizing particles, such as heavy ions, alpha particles or protons, irradiate a circuit or pass through an integrated circuit, causing a disruption in the system logic.

An SEL is a condition that causes loss of device functionality due to a single-event-induced, high-current state. An SEL may or may not cause permanent device damage but requires power strobing of the device to resume normal device operations. Devices with low (< 37.5 MeV-cm2/mg) SEL threshold LET (LETth) are considered unsuitable for space applications.

TID is caused by radiation from charged particles and gamma rays in space. This radiation deposits energy by causing ionization in the material. The ionization can change the charge excitation, charge transport, bonding and decomposition properties of the material, all of which can change the device parameters. Total dose is the cumulative ionizing radiation that an electronic device receives over a specified period of time. The damage depends on the amount of radiation and how long it took to accumulate the total dose; this is expressed in Radiation Absorbed Dose (RAD). We perform wafer lot-specific TID testing per TM1019 of the Mil-Std 883 class B standards and provide the test report with each flight unit order. The results do not constitute a guarantee that all units from each wafer lot will meet the TID levels observed in sample testing.