A Track-Structure-Based Approach to Upset-Rate Calculations Using the Katz Model

This article presents an approach to calculate single-event upset rates using a track structure theory (TST) as an alternative to the rectangular parallelepiped (RPP) model. The TST approach accurately predicts upset rates with fewer parameters than the RPP model, and all parameters are derived from the data. The model also works for device-level effects where there may be an unknown number of sensitive volumes (SVs). In addition to its utility in rate calculations, derivation of the model confirms one of the fundamental assumptions of the RPP model, namely that the ion track can be treated as a line of charge, smaller than the SV.