Heavy ion testing of VLSI devices for single event effects

Several VLSI devices that are not radiation hardened are still being used in spacecraft systems. These components therefore need to be tested for heavy ion irradiation to determine their tolerance and suitability in space applications. This paper describes the high energy heavy ion radiation testing of VLSI devices for Single Event Upset (SEU) and Single Event Latchup (SEL). The experimental setup employed to produce low fluxes of heavy ions, viz, Si, Cl, Ti, Ni and Ag, for studying single event effects is briefly described. The heavy ion testing of a few VLSI devices, namely, FPGA, bus controller and line driver/receiver is performed in the General Purpose Scattering Chamber of the pelletron facility available at the Nuclear Science Centre, New Delhi. The test results with respect to SEU, errors, functional failure and SEL are discussed