Monte Carlo simulation for predicting neutron-induced single-event upset in ferroelectric random access memory

Abstract

The influence of the single event effects (SEE) induced by neutron up to 14 MeV on ferroelectric random access memory (FRAM) is simulated by the Monte Carlo method. Simulation results show that single-event upset (SEU) occurs in FRAM when the neutron energy is greater than 6 MeV, and the average energy deposition of neutrons in the sensitive volume increases with increasing neutron energy. Neutron SEU in FRAM occurs when the energy deposition of a single secondary particles generated by a nuclear reaction in the sensitive region exceeds the critical energy. The neutron SEU cross-section of FRAM increases exponentially with increasing energy in the range of 6–14 MeV, and the SEU cross-section is about 1.39 × 10⁻¹⁴ cm² at 14 MeV. These findings are due to concomitant increases in the variety and numbers of secondary particles whose energy deposition in the sensitive region exceeds the critical energy.

Keywords:

• Ferroelectric random access memory
• Monte Carlo method
• single-event upset
• energy deposition
• secondary particles

Data availability

The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the State Key Laboratory of Intense Pulsed Radiation Simulation and Effect (No. SKLIPR1816), and by the Opening Project of Science and Technology on Reliability Physics and Application Technology of Electronic Component Laboratory, the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 61704127).