Experimental Evidence of Ground Albedo Neutron Impact on Soft Error Rate for Nanoscale Devices

This paper demonstrates the experimental evidence of ground albedo neutron impact on the soft error rate (SER) for nanoscale devices. The SER of a 45-nm technology was measured according to an experimental protocol using a californium sealed source and several scenes based on material blocks. High-density polyethylene and concrete materials were considered to investigate the intrinsic role in albedo neutron productions and their effect on devices. The results show the impact on the spectrum concern mainly energies below 5 MeV. Devices are characterized by a sensitivity which varies according to the presence or not of the material block. Simulations using GEANT4 and MUSCA SEP3 tool were performed to extend analyses. A final part is devoted to investigate the impact of ground albedo neutrons on SER by considering realistic terrestrial neutron field.