Broadening of the variance of the number of upsets in a read-cycle by MBUs

This work presents A technique for establishing the proportion of multiple bit upsets (MBUs) in single event effects (SEE) test results based on a more sophisticated analysis of existing trial data and not requiring a memory map. The technique is demonstrated and verified with reference to recent neutron SEE results in charge coupled devices, since multi-pixel events are plentiful in these data and the mean number of pixels per event can be independently established through image analysis. This technique is most easily applied when the fraction of MBUs is relatively large, so it is predicted to become increasingly important in the future, as feature size reduction is expected to increase the proportion of MBUs.