Monte Carlo calculation of the cross-section of single event upset induced by 14 MeV neutrons

摘要

High-density static random access memory may experience single event upsets (SEU) in neutron environments. We present a new method to calculate the SEU cross-section. Our method is based on explicit generation and transport of the secondary reaction products and detailed accounting for energy loss by ionization. Instead of simulating the behavior of the circuit, we use the Monte Carlo method to simulate the process of energy deposition in sensitive volumes. Thus, we do not need to know details about the circuit. We only need a reasonable guess for the size of the sensitive volumes. In the Monte Carlo simulation, the cross-section of SEU induced by 14 MeV neutrons is calculated. We can see that the Monte Carlo simulation not only can provide a new method to calculate SEU cross-section, but also can give a detailed description about random process of the SEU. (C) 2004 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.