Soft errors in advanced computer systems

As the dimensions and operating voltages of computer electronics shrink to satisfy consumers´ insatiable demand for higher density, greater functionality, and lower power consumption, sensitivity to radiation increases dramatically. In terrestrial applications, the predominant radiation issue is the soft error, whereby a single radiation event causes a data bit stored in a device to be corrupted until new data is written to that device. This article comprehensively analyzes soft-error sensitivity in modern systems and shows it to be application dependent. The discussion covers ground-level radiation mechanisms that have the most serious impact on circuit operation along with the effect of technology scaling on soft-error rates in memory and logic.