Modeling alpha-particle-induced accelerated soft error rate in semiconductor memory

This paper presents an analytic integral model for the accelerated soft error rate (ASER). The model took into account the physical and structural parameters as four alpha incident angles and an angular function. Two angles were related to charge collection and another two angles and an angular function were related to measurement configuration and how much alpha flux arrived. The model was verified by measuring ASER in 8 M static RAM. The model could explain ASER characteristics of saturation, exponential dependence, and vanishing with the power supply voltage. The model also reproduced an extraordinary phenomenon that there is a maximum in ASER with respect to the thickness of the capping layer on the static RAM.