Single-Event Upset Mitigation in a Complementary SiGe HBT BiCMOS Technology

The single-event upset response of SiGe-based digital circuits designed in a third-generation, bulk C-SiGe (<italic>npn</italic> + <italic>pnp</italic>) BiCMOS platform is investigated. Heavy-ion, broad-beam experiments across data rate, incidence angle, and bit stream pattern show that the <italic>pnp</italic>-based shift registers exhibit significant reductions in error cross section when compared with <italic>npn</italic>-only designs. Ion-strike simulations using 3-D TCAD models agree with the experimental findings, where the <italic>pnp</italic> SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistor (HBT) exhibits reduced sensitive area and transient duration, leading to large reductions in collected charge at the collector (output) terminal. The circuit-level, heavy-ion measurements are in agreement with previous device-level, pulsed-laser studies, where the single-event effect (SEE) improvement of <italic>pnp</italic> SiGe HBTs was attributed to the n-well isolation layer present in the vertical material stack of the <italic>pnp</italic> SiGe HBT structure. These results provide confirmation that precision analog, RF/mm-wave, and high-speed digital applications utilizing unhardened, high-performance bulk <italic>pnp</italic> SiGe HBTs should benefit from an inherently improved SEE response.

[1]  R. Barth,et al.  A low-parasitic collector construction for high-speed SiGe:C HBTs , 2004, IEDM Technical Digest. IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting, 2004..

[2]  D. Knoll,et al.  A complementary BiCMOS technology with high speed npn and pnp SiGe:C HBTs , 2003, IEEE International Electron Devices Meeting 2003.

[3]  J. C. Pickel,et al.  Heavy-ion broad-beam and microprobe studies of single-event upsets in 0.20-/spl mu/m SiGe heterojunction bipolar transistors and circuits , 2003 .

[4]  J. R. Srour,et al.  Displacement Damage Effects in Irradiated Semiconductor Devices , 2013, IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science.

[5]  P. W. Marshall,et al.  Single Event Upset cross sections at various data rates , 1996 .

[6]  A comparison of npn vs. pnp SiGe HBT oscillator phase noise performance in a complementary SiGe platform , 2010, 2010 IEEE Bipolar/BiCMOS Circuits and Technology Meeting (BCTM).

[7]  M. Turowski,et al.  Addressing challenges in device-circuit modeling for extreme environments of space , 2007, 2007 International Semiconductor Device Research Symposium.

[8]  Mehmet Kaynak,et al.  Single-Event Transient Response of Comparator Pre-Amplifiers in a Complementary SiGe Technology , 2017, IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science.

[9]  M. M. Dickinson,et al.  Saturn V launch vehicle digital computer and data adapter , 1899, AFIPS '64 (Fall, part I).

[10]  J.F. Wakerly.  Microcomputer reliability improvement using triple-modular redundancy , 1976, Proceedings of the IEEE.

[11]  J. Cressler.  Issues and Opportunities for Complementary SiGe HBT Technology , 2006 .

[12]  M. Turowski,et al.  Single event upset modeling with nuclear reactions in nanoscale electronics , 2008, 2008 15th International Conference on Mixed Design of Integrated Circuits and Systems.

[13]  John D. Cressler,et al.  Operation of SiGe HBTs Down to 70 mK , 2017, IEEE Electron Device Letters.

[14]  John D. Cressler,et al.  The Impact of Technology Scaling on the Single-Event Transient Response of SiGe HBTs , 2017, IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science.

[15]  Marek Turowski,et al.  Simulations of complex nuclear events from high energy ion tracks in integrated circuits with 3D NanoTCAD , 2010, 2010 14th International Workshop on Computational Electronics.

[16]  S. Buchner,et al.  Modification of single event upset cross section of an SRAM at high frequencies , 1995, Proceedings of the Third European Conference on Radiation and its Effects on Components and Systems.

[17]  R. Reed,et al.  Single event effects in circuit-hardened SiGe HBT logic at gigabit per second data rates , 2000 .

[18]  D. Knoll,et al.  Novel collector design for high-speed SiGe:C HBTs , 2002, Digest. International Electron Devices Meeting,.

[19]  D.L. Harame,et al.  A high-speed complementary silicon bipolar technology with 12-fJ power-delay product , 1993, IEEE Electron Device Letters.

[20]  Bongim Jun,et al.  An Investigation of Dose Rate and Source Dependent Effects in 200 GHz SiGe HBTs , 2006, IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science.

[21]  L. Sterpone,et al.  Analysis of the robustness of the TMR architecture in SRAM-based FPGAs , 2005, IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science.

[22]  R. Reed,et al.  Proton radiation response of SiGe HBT analog and RF circuits and passives , 2001 .

[23]  Mehmet Kaynak,et al.  On the Transient Response of a Complementary (npn $+$ pnp) SiGe HBT BiCMOS Technology , 2014, IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science.

[24]  J.D. Cressler,et al.  Application of RHBD Techniques to SEU Hardening of Third-Generation SiGe HBT Logic Circuits , 2006, IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science.

[25]  D. Harame,et al.  Total Dose and Transient Response of SiGe HBTs from a New 4th-Generation, 90 nm SiGe BiCMOS Technology , 2012, 2012 IEEE Radiation Effects Data Workshop.

[26]  G. Espinel,et al.  Substrate Engineering Concepts to Mitigate Charge Collection in Deep Trench Isolation Technologies , 2006, IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science.

[27]  John D. Cressler,et al.  Establishing best-practice modeling approaches for understanding single-event transients in Gb/s SiGe digital logic , 2011, 2011 12th European Conference on Radiation and Its Effects on Components and Systems.

[28]  John D. Cressler,et al.  Radiation Effects in SiGe Technology , 2013, IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science.

[29]  Cheryl J. Dale,et al.  Particle-induced mitigation of SEU sensitivity in high data rate GaAs HIGFET technologies , 1995 .

[30]  S. Clark,et al.  Neutron radiation tolerance of advanced UHV/CVD SiGe HBT BiCMOS technology , 1997 .

[31]  R. Reed,et al.  Modeling of single-event effects in circuit-hardened high-speed SiGe HBT logic , 2001 .

[32]  John D. Cressler,et al.  An Investigation of Single-Event Effects and Potential SEU Mitigation Strategies in Fourth-Generation, 90 nm SiGe BiCMOS , 2013, IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science.