IEC 62396-4:2013

IEC 62396-4 ®
Edition 1.0 2013-09
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
Process management for avionics – Atmospheric radiation effects –
Part 4: Design of high voltage aircraft electronics managing potential single
event effects
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IEC 62396-4 ®
Edition 1.0 2013-09
INTERNATIONAL
STANDARD
Process management for avionics – Atmospheric radiation effects –

Part 4: Design of high voltage aircraft electronics managing potential single

event effects
INTERNATIONAL
ELECTROTECHNICAL
COMMISSION
PRICE CODE
R
ICS 03.100.50; 31.020; 49.060 ISBN 978-2-8322-1094-9

– 2 – 62396-4 © IEC:2013(E)
CONTENTS
FOREWORD . 3
INTRODUCTION . 5
1 Scope . 6
2 Normative references . 6
3 Terms and definitions . 6
4 Potential high voltage single event effects . 6
5 Quantifying single event burnout in avionics for high voltage devices . 8
6 Relevant SEB data and applying it to avionics . 9
6.1 SEB data from heavy ion testing is not relevant . 9
6.2 SEB data from high energy neutron and proton testing . 9
6.3 Calculating the SEB rate at aircraft altitudes . 12
6.4 Measurement of high voltage component radiation characteristics, EPICS . 12
6.5 Single event burnout due to thermal neutrons . 14
6.6 Alternative semiconductor materials to silicon . 15
7 Conclusion . 15
Bibliography . 17

Figure 1 – SEB cross sections measured in 400 V and 500 V MOSFETs for WNR

neutron and proton beams . 10
Figure 2 – SEB cross sections measured in 1 000 V MOSFETs and 1 200 V IGBTs
with WNR neutron and 200 MeV proton beams . 11
Figure 3 – Measurement of radiation event charge and current . 13
Figure 4 – EPICS plot of 1 200 V diode numbers of events at currents taken at different
9 2
applied voltages for a neutron fluence of approximately 3,5 × 10 neutrons per cm
measured at energies greater than 10 MeV . 14
Figure 5 – EPICS plot of 1 200 V diode numbers of events at currents taken at 675 V
(56 %) and 900 V (75 %) applied voltage (stress) demonstrating the difference
between low and high voltage stress – Fluence as per Figure 4 . 14

62396-4 © IEC:2013(E) – 3 –
INTERNATIONAL ELECTROTECHNICAL COMMISSION
____________
PROCESS MANAGEMENT FOR AVIONICS –
ATMOSPHERIC RADIATION EFFECTS –

Part 4: Design of high voltage aircraft
electronics managing potential single event effects

FOREWORD
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patent rights. IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
International Standard IEC 62396-4 has been prepared by IEC technical committee 107:
Process management for avionics.
This International Standard is to be used in conjunction with IEC 62396-1:2012.
This first edition cancels and replaces IEC/TS 62396-4 published in 2008. This edition
constitutes a technical revision.
This edition includes the following significant technical changes with respect to the previous
edition:
a) Change to title.
b) Clause 4 inclusion of SEGR.
c) Inclusion of 6.5 concerning SEB due to thermal neutrons.

– 4 – 62396-4 © IEC:2013(E)
d) Consideration of alternative materials to silicon in 6.6.
The text of this international standard is based on the following documents:
FDIS Report on voting
107/211/FDIS 107/221/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.
A list of all the parts in the IEC 62396 series, published under the general title Process
management for avionics – Atmospheric radiation effects, can be found on the IEC website.
The committee has decided that the contents of this publication will remain unchanged until
the stability 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.
A bilingual edition of this document may be issued at a later date.

62396-4 © IEC:2013(E) – 5 –
INTRODUCTION
This industry-wide international standard provides guidance and requirements to design high
voltage aircraft electronics for electronic equipment and avionics systems. It is intended for
avionics system designers, electronic equipment manufacturers, component manufacturers
and their customers to manage the single event effects produced in semiconductor devices
operating at high voltage (nominally above 200 V) by atmospheric radiation. It expands on the
information and guidance provided in IEC 62396-1:2012.
The internal elements of semiconductor devices operating at high applied voltage will be
subject to high voltage stress. The incident radiation causes ionisation charge within the
device, and the high voltage stress may cause a large increase (avalanche) in this charge,
which may be destructive. Within this part of IEC 62396 two effects are considered: single
event burnout (SEB), and single event gate rupture (SEGR).

– 6 – 62396-4 © IEC:2013(E)
PROCESS MANAGEMENT FOR AVIONICS –
ATMOSPHERIC RADIATION EFFECTS –

Part 4: Design of high voltage aircraft
electronics managing potential single event effects

1 Scope
This part of IEC 62396 provides guidance on atmospheric radiation effects and their
management on high voltage (nominally above 200 V) avionics electronics used in aircraft
operating at altitudes up to 60 000 ft (18,3 km). This part of IEC 62396 defines the effects of
that environment on high voltage electronics and provides design considerations for the
accommodation of those effects within avionics systems.
This part of IEC 62396 provides technical data and methodology for aerospace equipment
manufacturers and designers to standardise their approach to single event effects on high
voltage avionics by providing guidance, leading to a standard methodology.
Details are given of the types of single event effects relevant to the operation of high voltage
avionics electronics, methods of quantifying those effects, appropriate methods to provide
design and methodology to demonstrate the suitability of the electronics for the application.
2 Normative references
The following documents, in whole or in part, are normatively referenced in this document and
are indispensable for its application. For dated references, only the edition cited applies. For
undated references, the latest edition of the referenced document (including any
amendments) applies.
IEC 62396-1:2012, Process management for avionics – Atmospheric radiation effects – Part 1:
Accommodation of atmospheric radiation effects via single event effects within avionics
electronic equipment
3 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the terms and definitions given in IEC 62396-1:2012 apply.
4 Potential high voltage single event effects
An N-channel power MOSFET can have two different types of destructive effects induced by
the deposition of charge from a single energetic particle, single event burnout (SEB) and
single event gate rupture (SEGR). Different tests performed on several devices show that is
difficult to induce SEB in P-channel MOSFET [1], [2] . In addition to this kind of power
MOSFET, other power devices, such as insulated gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs), bipolar
power transistors and diodes, which have large applied voltage biases and high internal
electric fields, are
...