System mitigation techniques for single event effects

Single event effects (SEE) caused by atmospheric radiation have been recognized in recent years as a design issue for avionics systems, as well as high reliability ground-based systems. This paper provides a background of the atmospheric radiation phenomenon and the resulting single event effects, including single event upset (SEU) and latch up conditions. The need to incorporate an assessment of SEE susceptibility and an impact evaluation methodology into the product development process is also addressed. Descriptions are provided for the potential system failure modes, device effects, as well as assessment and measurement methods. Mitigation techniques for the system designer are discussed, with the purpose of developing fault-tolerant system architectures.