LET spectra of proton energy levels from 50 to 500 MeV and their effectiveness for single event effects characterization of microelectronics

The effective linear energy transfer of heavy nuclear recoils (Z≥3) produced by proton interactions in silicon are calculated for incident proton energies of 50, 100, 200, and 500 MeV. The LAHET intranuclear cascade and evaporation code is used to obtain the energy spectra of the nuclear recoils and a Monte Carlo code is then used to follow these recoils as they stop in silicon. The total LET spectra at an observation layer located at a depth of 100 microns in the silicon is calculated. The effectiveness of each proton energy level for single event effects screening of microelectronics is evaluated.