Discussion of the metric in characterizing the single-event effect induced by heavy ions

The single-event effect (SEE) is the most serious problem in space environment. The modern semiconductor technology is concerned with the feasibility of the linear energy transfer (LET) as metric in characterizing SEE induced by heavy ions. In this paper, we calibrate the detailed static random access memory (SRAM) cell structure model of an advanced field programmable gate array (FPGA) device using the computer-aided design tool, and calculate the heavy ion energy loss in multi-layer metal utilizing Geant4. Based on the heavy ion accelerator experiment and numerical simulation, it is proved that the metric of LET at the device surface, ignoring the top metal material in the advanced semiconductor device, would underestimate the SEE. In the SEE evaluation in space radiation environment the top-layers on the semiconductor device must be taken into consideration.