SEL-Sensitive Area Mapping and the Effects of Reflection and Diffraction From Metal Lines on Laser SEE Testing.

Laser and heavy-ion data reveal the areas and shapes of single-event latchup (SEL)-sensitive regions in CMOS test structures and their positions relative to the affected \p-n-p-n paths. Contrary to previous two-dimensional studies, this three-dimensional study shows that the position of maximum SEL sensitivity in these structures is not centered on a \p-n-p-n region, but between two neighboring \p-n-p-n regions, suggesting that synergistic triggering increases SEL sensitivity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]