IEC 60749-38:2008

IEC 60749-38
Edition 1.0 2008-02
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
Semiconductor devices – Mechanical and climatic test methods –
Part 38: Soft error test method for semiconductor devices with memory

Dispositifs à semiconducteurs – Méthodes d’essais mécaniques et climatiques –
Partie 38: Méthode d’essai des erreurs logicielles pour les dispositifs à
semiconducteurs avec mémoire
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IEC 60749-38
Edition 1.0 2008-02
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
NORME
INTERNATIONALE
Semiconductor devices – Mechanical and climatic test methods –
Part 38: Soft error test method for semiconductor devices with memory

Dispositifs à semiconducteurs – Méthodes d’essais mécaniques et climatiques –
Partie 38: Méthode d’essai des erreurs logicielles pour les dispositifs à
semiconducteurs avec mémoire
INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
COMMISSION
ELECTROTECHNIQUE
PRICE CODE
INTERNATIONALE
M
CODE PRIX
ICS 31.080.01 ISBN 2-8318-9615-0

– 2 – 60749-38 © IEC:2008
CONTENTS
FOREWORD.3

1 Scope.5
2 Terms and definitions .5
3 Test apparatus .7
3.1 Measurement equipment .7
3.2 Alpha radiation source.7
3.2.1 Background information.7
3.2.2 Preferred sources .7
3.2.3 Variation in results.7
3.2.4 Effect of high radiation levels.7
3.2.5 Measurement accuracy.8
3.3 Test sample .8
4 Procedure .8
4.1 Alpha radiation accelerated soft error test .8
4.1.1 Surface preparation .8
4.1.2 Power supply voltage .8
4.1.3 Ambient temperature .9
4.1.4 Core cycle time.9
4.1.5 Data pattern .9
4.1.6 Distance between chip and radiation source .9
4.1.7 Number of measurement samples.9
4.2 Real-time soft error test.9
4.2.1 General .9
4.2.2 Power supply voltage .9
4.2.3 Ambient temperature .9
4.2.4 Operating frequency .9
4.2.5 Data pattern .10
4.2.6 Test time .10
4.2.7 Number of test samples .10
4.2.8 Environmental neutron testing .10
4.3 Neutron radiation accelerated soft error test.10
5 Evaluation .10
5.1 Alpha radiation accelerated soft error test .10
5.2 Real-time soft error test.11
6 Summary.12

Bibliography.13

Figure 1 – Effect of source-device spacing on normalized flux at device .8

Table 1 – X for FIT calculation .11

60749-38 © IEC:2008 – 3 –
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES –
MECHANICAL AND CLIMATIC TEST METHODS –

Part 38: Soft error test method for semiconductor
devices with memory
FOREWORD
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International Standard IEC 60749-38 has been prepared by IEC technical committee 47:
Semiconductor devices.
The text of this standard is based on the following documents:
FDIS Report on voting
47/1943/FDIS 47/1951/RVD
Full information on the voting for the approval of this standard can be found in the report on
voting indicated in the above table.
This publication has been drafted in accordance with the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.

– 4 – 60749-38 © IEC:2008
A list of all the parts in the IEC 60749 series, under the general title Semiconductor devices –
Mechanical and climatic test methods, can be found on the IEC website.
The committee has decided that the contents of this publication will remain unchanged until
the maintenance result date indicated on the IEC web site under "http://webstore.iec.ch" in
the data related to the specific publication. At this date, the publication will be
• reconfirmed;
• withdrawn;
• replaced by a revised edition, or
• amended.
60749-38 © IEC:2008 – 5 –
SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES –
MECHANICAL AND CLIMATIC TEST METHODS –

Part 38: Soft error test method for semiconductor
devices with memory
1 Scope
This part of IEC 60749 establishes a procedure for measuring the soft error susceptibility of
semiconductor devices with memory when subjected to energetic
...