Re: About Alpha radiation...

[Tim May <tcmay@got.net>]

At 11:31 PM -0800 3/25/99, Marty Levy wrote:
>Alpha particles are a major source of bit disturb errors in terrestrial-usage
>semiconductors.  The primary source is the packaging used to encapsulate the
>chip.  Low alpha mold compounds can reduce this in plastic encapsulated
>devices, but cannot eliminate it.  The presence of alpha generators in ceramic
>packages is even more difficult to control.  Trench-style DRAM cells are less
>susceptible to alpha upsets due to the protection afforded by the silicon
>substrate.  Multiple levels of interconnect also improve the situation, but of
>course shrinking device geometries make it worse.
>
>There is a great deal of literature on this subject for anyone who really
>wants
>to know.  I would start with IEDM, IRPS (International Reliability Physics
>Symposium) and various IEEE societies dealing with solid-state devices.

Can this be true? Who'd've thunk it?


--Tim May

Y2K: Hope for the best, prepare for the worst, enjoy the ride.
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Timothy C. May              | Crypto Anarchy: encryption, digital money,
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