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Sentinel Software

RadV_T™

Total dose radiation exposure results in charged defect densities in the gate and isolation oxide regions of a MOS transistor. The charged defects degrade device performance by introducing changes in threshold voltage and leakage current. The magnitude of the parametric shift is dependent on operating conditions and environment.

The Ridgetop RadCell VT prognostic cell accurately senses radiation-induced shift in CMOS transistor threshold voltage and outputs the cumulative degradation result.

The prognostic distance is the time between the prognostic cell warning point and the time of system failure, as shown below. The prognostic distance of the RadCell Vt prognostic cell can be adjusted to meet customer needs by trigger point calibration.

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Features and Benefits

• Acts as an early-warning sentinel of an upcoming threshold voltage failure condition due to radiation exposure
• Available for various CMOS processes
• Power dissipation is approximately 600 μW
• Prognostic distance can be adjusted from the nominal 80% point
• Prognostic distance can be adjusted from the nominal 80% point
• Simple buffered logic high or low output indicate an impending failure event
• Optional IEEE-1149.1 JTAG Bus interface

Characteristic System Reliability with RUL Indicating Prognostic Distance