Radiation Susceptibility Analysis for Semiconductor Circuits
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Solution Overview
Problem
The increasing engineering effort and cost for developing radiation-induced single-event-effects tolerant microelectronics in modern technology nodes pose a challenge, as current methods for assessing radiation susceptibility are limited and require significant time and resources, leading to delays and increased costs, especially for terrestrial applications.
Innovation Solution
A hardware compute accelerator system that analyzes and predicts radiation-induced single-event-effects susceptibility during the design process, identifying vulnerable areas and providing a susceptibility assessment before fabrication, allowing for reduced engineering effort, cost, and development duration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If radiation tolerance validation is performed through fabrication and testing, then reliability is improved, but loss of time and manufacturing cost increase significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs radiation susceptibility analysis during the design phase using circuit simulation and charge deposition modeling, before fabrication occurs. This preliminary assessment identifies vulnerable circuits and nodes, allowing designers to modify the design to improve radiation tolerance without undergoing time-consuming fabrication and radiation testing cycles.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a virtual model of the circuit's radiation response through simulation. By modeling charge deposition patterns and analyzing circuit behavior under radiation conditions in silico, the system replicates the effects of actual radiation exposure without requiring physical radiation testing, thereby reducing time and cost while maintaining assessment accuracy.
2Reliability
If radiation tolerance validation is performed through fabrication and testing, then reliability is improved, but manufacturing cost increases significantly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs radiation susceptibility analysis during the design phase using circuit simulation and charge deposition modeling, before fabrication occurs. This preliminary assessment identifies vulnerable circuits and nodes, allowing designers to modify the design to improve radiation tolerance without undergoing time-consuming fabrication and radiation testing cycles.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a virtual model of the circuit's radiation response through simulation. By modeling charge deposition patterns and analyzing circuit behavior under radiation conditions in silico, the system replicates the effects of actual radiation exposure without requiring physical radiation testing, thereby reducing time and cost while maintaining assessment accuracy.
3Measurement precision
If comprehensive radiation assessment is performed, then measurement precision is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the radiation assessment process into distinct analytical components: charge deposition modeling, circuit simulation, and susceptibility analysis. By segmenting the analysis into manageable modules that can be applied hierarchically (from device level to circuit level), the system achieves comprehensive assessment accuracy while maintaining manageable complexity through modular processing.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for semiconductor design evaluation. IC layout information of a circuit design is received, and the circuit design is decomposed into smaller circuit pieces. Each circuit piece has IC layout information and a netlist. For each circuit piece, a set of strike models is selected based on the layout information and the net-list of the circuit piece and received radiation environment information. Each strike model has circuit components with voltage values corresponding to a respective particle strike. For each selected strike model of a circuit piece: a radiation susceptibility metric is determined by comparing functional results of simulation of the of the strike model with functional results of simulation of the circuit piece. For each circuit piece, a radiation susceptibility metric is determined based on the radiation susceptibility metrics generated for each selected strike model of the circuit piece.