Publications Details

Thermal neutron-induced single-event upsets in microcontrollers containing boron-10

Auden, Elizabeth C.; Quinn, Heather M.; Wender, Stephen A.; Donnell, Paul W.'.; Lisowski, Jeffrey; George, Jeffrey S.; Xu, Ning; Black, Dolores A.; Black, Jeffrey D.

Single-event upsets (SEUs) were measured in thermal neutron-irradiated microcontrollers with 65-nm node and 130-nm node SRAMs. The suspected upset mechanism is charge deposition from the energetic byproducts of ¹⁰B thermal neutron capture. Although elemental analysis confirmed that both microcontrollers contain ¹⁰B, only the 65-nm node microcontroller exhibited a strong response to thermal neutrons. Monte Carlo simulations were performed to investigate the effects of ¹¹B enrichment on thermal neutron-induced SEUs in a 65-nm SRAM node when boron is present in the p-type well, p-type source and drain, or tungsten plug. Simulations indicate that the byproducts of ¹⁰B(n,α)⁷Li reactions are capable of generating sufficient charge to upset a 65-nm SRAM. Finally, the highest amount of charge deposition from ¹⁰B(n,α)⁷Li reaction byproducts occurs when natural boron is used to dope the p-type source and drain regions. Simulations also show that the SEU cross section is non-negligible when ¹¹B-enriched boron is used for doping.