Physical Mechanisms of Proton-Induced Single-Event Upset in Integrated Memory Devices

The sensitivity of memory devices under proton irradiation has been extensively studied over the years. Two main mechanisms have been identified to drive the single-event upset (SEU) sensitivity in the last generation of devices: direct ionization for low proton energies and inelastic nuclear reactions for higher proton energies. Some papers have shown that the Coulomb elastic contribution should be considered. This paper supports this conclusion and proposes analyses in order to show the importance of this contribution according to the technological node studied.