NSEU Mitigation in Avionics Applications

Summary Neutron-induced single event upset (NSEU) is a known phenomenon in the memory structures of modern ICs used in terrestrial applications. With current and next-generation aircraft operating at altitudes of 40,000 feet and higher, the increased atmospheric neutron flux raises the likelihood of this phenomenon by several orders of magnitude with the potential to impact flight safety. The decreasing feature size of memory structures combined with the growth in memory size means that system susceptibility to NSEUs is growing. SRAM-based FPGAs pose a unique challenge for avionics manufacturers because an FPGA's functionality depends on the integrity of its configuration memory. It is vital for FPGA designers to achieve NSEU hardness for critical avionics systems through a combination of soft and hard mitigation techniques.