Galactic-cosmic-rays (GCR) exist in space from unknown origins. A cosmic ray is a very high energy electron, proton, or heavy ion. As a GCR transverses a power semiconductor device, electron-hole-pairs (ehps) are generated along the ion track. Effects from this are referred to as single-event-effects (SEEs). A subset of a SEE is single-event burnout (SEB) which occurs when the parasitic bipolar junction transistor is triggered leading to thermal runaway. The failure mechanism is a complicated mix of photo-generated current, avalanche generated current, and activation of the inherent parasitic bipolar transistor. Current space-borne power systems lack the utility and advantages of terrestrial power systems. Vertical-double-diffused MOSFETs (VDMOS) is by far the most common power semiconductor device and are very susceptible to SEEs by their vertical structure. Modern space power switches typically require system designers to de-rate the power semiconductor switching device to account for this. Consequently, the power system suffers from increased size, cost, and decreased performance. Their switching speed is limited due to their vertical structure and cannot be used for MHz frequency applications limiting the use of modern digital electronics for space missions. Thus, the Power Semiconductor Research Laboratory at the University of Central Florida in conjunction with Sandia National Laboratories is developing a rad-hard by design lateral-double-diffused MOSFET (LDMOS). The study provides a novel in-depth physical analysis of the mechanisms that cause the LDMOS to burnout during an SEE and provides guidelines for making the LDMOS rad-hard to SEB. Total dose radiation, another important radiation effect, can cause threshold voltage shifts but is beyond the scope of this study. The devices presented have been fabricated with a known total dose radiation hard CMOS process. Single-event burnout data from simulations and experiments are presented in the study to prove the viability of using the LDMOS to replace the VDMOS for space power systems. The LDMOS is capable of higher switching speeds due to a reduced drain-gate feedback capacitance (Miller Capacitor). Since the device is lateral it is compatible with complimentary-metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) processes, lowering developing time and fabrication costs. High switching frequencies permit the use of high density point-of-load conversion and provide a fast dynamic response.

L'objectif principal de cette thèse est de développer des techniques d'analyse et mitigation capables à contrer les effets des Evènements Singuliers (Single Event Effects) - perturbations externes et internes produites par les particules radioactives, affectant la fiabilité et la sureté en fonctionnement des circuits microélectroniques complexes. Cette thèse à la vocation d'offrir des solutions et méthodologies industrielles pour les domaines d'applications terrestres exigeant une fiabilité ultime (télécommunications, dispositifs médicaux, ...) en complément des travaux précédents sur les Soft Errors, traditionnellement orientés vers les applications aérospatiales, nucléaires et militaires.Les travaux présentés utilisent une décomposition de sources d'erreurs dans les circuits actuels, visant à mettre en évidence les contributeurs les plus importants.Les upsets (SEU) - Evènements Singuliers (ES) dans les cellules logiques séquentielles représentent actuellement la cible principale pour les efforts d'analyse et d'amélioration à la fois dans l'industrie et dans l'académie. Cette thèse présente une méthodologie d'analyse basée sur la prise en compte de la sensibilité de chaque état logique d'une cellule (state-awareness), approche qui améliore considérablement la précision des résultats concernant les taux des évènements pour les instances séquentielles individuelles. En outre, le déséquilibre intrinsèque entre la susceptibilité des différents états des bascules est exploité pour mettre en œuvre une stratégie d'amélioration SER à très faible coût.Les fautes transitoires (SET) affectant la logique combinatoire sont beaucoup plus difficiles à modéliser, à simuler et à analyser que les SEUs. L'environnement radiatif peut provoquer une multitude d'impulsions transitoires dans les divers types de cellules qui sont utilisés en configurations multiples. Cette thèse présente une approche pratique pour l'analyse SET, applicable à des circuits industriels très complexes. Les principales étapes de ce processus consiste à: a) caractériser complètement la bibliothèque de cellules standard, b) évaluer les SET dans les réseaux logiques du circuit en utilisant des méthodes statiques et dynamiques et c) calculer le taux SET global en prenant en compte les particularités de l'implémentation du circuit et de son environnement.L'injection de fautes reste la principale méthode d'analyse pour étudier l'impact des fautes, erreurs et disfonctionnements causés par les évènements singuliers. Ce document présente les résultats d'une analyse fonctionnelle d'un processeur complexe dans la présence des fautes et pour une sélection d'applications (benchmarks) représentatifs. Des techniques d'accélération de la simulation (calculs probabilistes, clustering, simulations parallèles) ont été proposées et évalués afin d'élaborer un environnement de validation industriel, capable à prendre en compte des circuits très complexes. Les résultats obtenus ont permis l'élaboration et l'évaluation d'un hypothétique scénario de mitigation qui vise à améliorer sensiblement, et cela au moindre coût, la fiabilité du circuit sous test. Les résultats obtenus montrent que les taux d'erreur, SDC (Silent Data Corruption) et DUE (Detectable Uncorrectable Errors) peuvent être considérablement réduits par le durcissement d'un petite partie du circuit (protection sélective). D'autres techniques spécifiques ont été également déployées: mitigation du taux de soft-errors des Flip-Flips grâce à une optimisation du Temporal De-Rating par l'insertion sélective de retard sur l'entrée ou la sortie des bascules et biasing du circuit pour privilégier les états moins sensibles.Les méthodologies, algorithmes et outils CAO proposés et validés dans le cadre de ces travaux sont destinés à un usage industriel et ont été valorisés dans le cadre de plateforme CAO commerciale visant à offrir une solution complète pour l'évaluation de la fiabilité des circuits et systèmes électroniques complexes. / The main objective of this thesis is to develop analysis and mitigation techniques that can be used to face the effects of radiation-induced soft errors - external and internal disturbances produced by radioactive particles, affecting the reliability and safety in operation complex microelectronic circuits. This thesis aims to provide industrial solutions and methodologies for the areas of terrestrial applications requiring ultimate reliability (telecommunications, medical devices, ...) to complement previous work on Soft Errors traditionally oriented aerospace, nuclear and military applications.The work presented uses a decomposition of the error sources, inside the current circuits, to highlight the most important contributors.Single Event Effects in sequential logic cells represent the current target for analysis and improvement efforts in both industry and academia. This thesis presents a state-aware analysis methodology that improves the accuracy of Soft Error Rate data for individual sequential instances based on the circuit and application. Furthermore, the intrinsic imbalance between the SEU susceptibility of different flip-flop states is exploited to implement a low-cost SER improvement strategy.Single Event Transients affecting combinational logic are considerably more difficult to model, simulate and analyze than the closely-related Single Event Upsets. The working environment may cause a myriad of distinctive transient pulses in various cell types that are used in widely different configurations. This thesis presents practical approach to a possible exhaustive Single Event Transient evaluation flow in an industrial setting. The main steps of this process consists in: a) fully characterize the standard cell library using a process and library-aware SER tool, b) evaluate SET effects in the logic networks of the circuit using a variety dynamic (simulation-based) and static (probabilistic) methods and c) compute overall SET figures taking into account the particularities of the implementation of the circuit and its environment.Fault-injection remains the primary method for analyzing the effects of soft errors. This document presents the results of functional analysis of a complex CPU. Three representative benchmarks were considered for this analysis. Accelerated simulation techniques (probabilistic calculations, clustering, parallel simulations) have been proposed and evaluated in order to develop an industrial validation environment, able to take into account very complex circuits. The results obtained allowed the development and evaluation of a hypothetical mitigation scenario that aims to significantly improve the reliability of the circuit at the lowest cost.The results obtained show that the error rate, SDC (Silent Data Corruption) and DUE (Detectable Uncorrectable Errors) can be significantly reduced by hardening a small part of the circuit (Selective mitigation).In addition to the main axis of research, some tangential topics were studied in collaboration with other teams. One of these consisted in the study of a technique for the mitigation of flip-flop soft-errors through an optimization of the Temporal De-Rating (TDR) by selectively inserting delay on the input or output of flip-flops.The Methodologies, the algorithms and the CAD tools proposed and validated as part of the work are intended for industrial use and have been included in a commercial CAD framework that offers a complete solution for assessing the reliability of circuits and complex electronic systems.

Os efeitos da radiação ionizante em dispositivos eletrônicos é uma preocupação crescente na tecnologia de semicondutores, especialmente devido à contínua redução dos dispositivos e ainda maior, quando são destinados para uso em ambientes agressivos com alta radiação, tais como missões espaciais, aceleradores de partículas ou reatores nucleares. Dentre os vários efeitos causados pela radiação ionizante em dispositivos eletrônicos está aquele devido à Dose Acumulada (Total Ionizing Dose - TID), o qual a acumulação de danos de radiação no dispositivo muda seu funcionamento normal. O TID causado por fótons em transístores já foi estudado no Brasil, mas o efeito de prótons num transistor bipolar, apresentado neste trabalho é um trabalho pioneiro no país. As curvas características de um transistor 2N3733 foram medidas antes, durante e após a irradiação de prótons entre 1,5 e 3,8 MeV, para quantificar as alterações das especificações elétricas do dispositivo. Nestas energias, há uma correlação direta entre a mudança na resposta elétrica e a energia do próton, exceto em algumas energias específicas, onde o pico de Bragg ocorreu perto das junções ou no meio do cristal de silício, demonstrando a importância da correta caracterização da camada de passivação em estudos de TID em dispositivos eletrônicos. A recuperação dos transistores irradiados após o recozimento a 50°C durante 8 horas também foi maior para aqueles irradiados nessas energias. Existe um limite superior de dose para o qual não foi observada alteração significativa do transistor. Este limite, da ordem de Grad, excede a maioria das aplicações em ambientes terrestres, mas está dentro do intervalo esperado para missões espaciais a Júpiter ou em grandes aceleradores de partículas. / The effect of ionizing radiation on electronic devices is a growing concern in semiconductor technology, especially due to the continuous reduction of the devices and even greater when they are intended for use in aggressive environments with high radiation, such as space missions, particle accelerators or nuclear reactors. Among the various effects caused by ionizing radiation on electronic devices are the effects due to Total Ionizing Dose (TID), in which the accumulation of radiation damage in the device changes its normal functioning. The TID caused by photons has already been studied in Brazil, but the effect of protons on a bipolar transistor, presented in this work is a pioneer work in the country. The characteristic curves of a 2N3733 transistor were measured before, during and after proton irradiation between 1.5 and 3.8 MeV, to quantify changes of the electrical specifications of the device. At these proton energies, there is a direct correlation between the change in the electric response to the proton energy, except at some specific energies where the Bragg peak occurred near the junctions or in the middle of the silicon crystal, demonstrating the importance of the correct characterization of the passivation layer in TID studies of electronic devices. The recovery of transistors irradiated after annealing at 50 ° C for 8 hours was also higher for those irradiated at these energies. There is an upper dose limit for which no alteration of the transistor was observed. This limit, of the order of Grad, exceeds most applications in terrestrial environments, but is within the expected range for space missions to Jupiter or large particle accelerators.

Este trabalho consiste no estudo e análise da suscetibilidade a efeitos da radiação em projetos de circuitos gerados por ferramenta de Síntese de Alto Nível para FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Array), ou seja, circuitos programáveis e sistemas em chip, do inglês System-on-Chip (SOC). Através de um injetor de falhas por emulação usando o ICAP (Internal Configuration Access Port) localizado dentro do FPGA é possível injetar falhas simples ou acumuladas do tipo SEU (Single Event Upset), definidas como perturbações que podem afetar o funcionamento correto do dispositivo através da inversão de um bit por uma partícula carregada. SEU está dentro da classificação de SEEs (Single Event Effects), efeitos transitórios em tradução livre, podem ocorrer devido a penetração de partículas de alta energia do espaço e do sol (raios cósmicos e solares) na atmosfera da Terra que colidem com átomos de nitrogênio e oxigênio resultando na produção de partículas carregadas, na grande maioria nêutrons. Dentro deste contexto além de analisar a suscetibilidade de projetos gerados por ferramenta de Síntese de Alto Nível, torna-se relevante o estudo de técnicas de redundância como TMR (Triple Modular Redundance) para detecção, correção de erros e comparação com projetos desprotegidos verificando a confiabilidade. Os resultados mostram que no modo de injeção de falhas simples os projetos com redundância TMR demonstram ser efetivos. Na injeção de falhas acumuladas o projeto com múltiplos canais apresentou melhor confiabilidade do que o projeto desprotegido e com redundância de canal simples, tolerando um maior número de falhas antes de ter seu funcionamento comprometido. / This work consists of the study and analysis of the susceptibility to effects of radiation in circuits projects generated by High Level Synthesis tool for FPGAs Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGAs), that is, system-on-chip (SOC). Through an emulation fault injector using ICAP (Internal Configuration Access Port), located inside the FPGA, it is possible to inject single or accumulated failures of the type SEU (Single Event Upset), defined as disturbances that can affect the correct functioning of the device through the inversion of a bit by a charged particle. SEU is within the classification of SEEs (Single Event Effects), can occur due to the penetration of high energy particles from space and from the sun (cosmic and solar rays) in the Earth's atmosphere that collide with atoms of nitrogen and oxygen resulting in the production of charged particles, most of them neutrons. In this context, in addition to analyzing the susceptibility of projects generated by a High Level Synthesis tool, it becomes relevant to study redundancy techniques such as TMR (Triple Modular Redundancy) for detection, correction of errors and comparison with unprotected projects verifying the reliability. The results show that in the simple fault injection mode TMR redundant projects prove to be effective. In the case of accumulated fault injection, the multichannel design presented better reliability than the unprotected design and with single channel redundancy, tolerating a greater number of failures before its operation was compromised.

Ce travail présente la mise en œuvre du test par faisceau laser TPA pour l’étude de la sensibilité au phénomène SEB dans les diodes schottky en carbure de silicium. Le contexte de l’étude est décrit par un état de l’art du SEB sur les MOSFETs et Diodes en Silicium et en carbure de silicium. Une étude technologique et structurelle des composants en SiC a permis de dégager les avantages du SiC par rapport au Si conventionnel et a permis d’analyser les dégâts causés par le faisceau TPA. L’utilisation du montage expérimental sur la plateforme ATLAS dédié spécifiquement au test de matériaux à grand gap a permis de mettre en place une méthodologie de test sur des diodes schottky en SiC. L’efficacité de cette méthodologie est prouvée par l’obtention de résultats expérimentaux très originaux. La susceptibilité au SEB induit par la technique laser TPA a été démontrée. Les mesures SOA ont permis d’évaluer la robustesse des diodes schottky SiC face aux événements singuliers. Une modélisation analytique a été menée afin de comprendre la cause du mécanisme du SEB et la localisation des défauts induits par le faisceau TPA. / This work presents the implementation of the TPA laser beam testing to study the SEB phenomenon in silicon carbide Schottky diodes. The context of the study is described by a state of the art of SEB on Si and SiC MOSFETs and Diodes. Technological and structural study of SiC components has identified the benefits of SiC compared to conventional Si and permits to analyze the damage caused by the TPA beam. Using the experimental setup of the ATLAS platform dedicated specifically to test large gap materials has set up a test methodology on SiC Schottky diodes. The effectiveness of this methodology is demonstrated by obtaining original experimental results. Susceptibility to SEB induced by TPA laser technique has been demonstrated. SOA measurements were used to assess the robustness of SiC Schottky diodes to single event effects.An analytical modeling was conducted to understand the cause of the SEB mechanism and the location of defects induced by the TPA beam.

Extreme environment applications impose stringent demands on technology platforms that are incorporated in electronic systems. Space is a classic extreme environment, encompassing both large temperature fluctuations as well as intense radiation fields. Silicon-germanium technology has emerged as a competitive platform for space-based applications, owing to its excellent low-temperature performance and total ionizing dose tolerance. This technology has however been repeatedly shown to be vulnerable to single event phenomena induced by galactic cosmic rays as well as trapped particles within the earth's geomagnetic field. To improve the radiation tolerance of systems incorporating SiGe components, modifications to fabrications steps (Radiation Hardening by Process, RHBP) and/or device/circuit topologies (Radiation Hardening by Design, RHBD) may be employed. For this thesis, two methodologies are analyzed, both RHBD techniques which come at no additional power/area penalty for implementation.

La présente thèse vise à évaluer la sensibilité statique et dynamique face aux SEE de trois dispositifs COTS différents. Le premier est le processeur multi-cœurs P2041 de Freescale fabriqué en technologie 45nm SOI qui met en œuvre ECC et la parité dans leurs mémoires cache. Le second est le processeur multifonction Kalray MPPA-256 fabriqué en technologie CMOS 28nm TSMC qui intègre 16 clusters de calcul chacun avec 16 cœurs, et met en œuvre ECC dans ses mémoires statiques et parité dans ses mémoires caches. Le troisième est le microprocesseur Adapteva E16G301 fabriqué en 65nm CMOS processus qui intègre 16 cœurs de processeur et ne pas mettre en œuvre des mécanismes de protection. L'évaluation a été réalisée par des expériences de rayonnement avec des neutrons de 14 Mev dans des accélérateurs de particules pour émuler un environnement de rayonnement agressif, et par injection de fautes dans des mémoires cache, des mémoires partagées ou des registres de processeur pour simuler les conséquences des SEU dans l'exécution du programme. Une analyse approfondie des erreurs observées a été effectuée pour identifier les vulnérabilités dans les mécanismes de protection. Des zones critiques telles que des Tag adresses et des registres à usage général ont été affectées pendant les expériences de rayonnement. De plus, l'approche Code Emulating Upset (CEU), développée au Laboratoire TIMA, a été étendue pour des processeurs multi-cœur et many-cœur pour prédire le taux d'erreur d'application en combinant les résultats issus des campagnes d'injection de fautes avec ceux issus des expériences de rayonnement. / The present thesis aims at evaluating the SEE static and dynamic sensitivity of three different COTS multi-core and many-core processors. The first one is the Freescale P2041 multi-core processor manufactured in 45nm SOI technology which implements ECC and parity in their cache memories. The second one is the Kalray MPPA-256 many-core processor manufactured in 28nm TSMC CMOS technology which integrates 16 compute clusters each one with 16 processor cores, and implements ECC in its static memories and parity in its cache memories. The third one is the Adapteva Epiphany E16G301 microprocessor manufactured in 65nm CMOS process which integrates 16 processor cores and do not implement protection mechanisms. The evaluation was accomplished through radiation experiments with 14 Mev neutrons in particle accelerators to emulate a harsh radiation environment, and by fault injection in cache memories, shared memories or processor registers, to simulate the consequences of SEUs in the execution of the program. A deep analysis of the observed errors was carried out to identify vulnerabilities in the protection mechanisms. Critical zones such as address tag and general purpose registers were affected during the radiation experiments. In addition, The Code Emulating Upset (CEU) approach, developed at TIMA Laboratory was extended to multi-core and many core processors for predicting the application error rate by combining the results issued from fault injection campaigns with those coming from radiation experiments.

Este trabalho consiste no estudo e análise da suscetibilidade a efeitos da radiação em projetos de circuitos gerados por ferramenta de Síntese de Alto Nível para FPGAs (Field Programmable Gate Array), ou seja, circuitos programáveis e sistemas em chip, do inglês System-on-Chip (SOC). Através de um injetor de falhas por emulação usando o ICAP (Internal Configuration Access Port) localizado dentro do FPGA é possível injetar falhas simples ou acumuladas do tipo SEU (Single Event Upset), definidas como perturbações que podem afetar o funcionamento correto do dispositivo através da inversão de um bit por uma partícula carregada. SEU está dentro da classificação de SEEs (Single Event Effects), efeitos transitórios em tradução livre, podem ocorrer devido a penetração de partículas de alta energia do espaço e do sol (raios cósmicos e solares) na atmosfera da Terra que colidem com átomos de nitrogênio e oxigênio resultando na produção de partículas carregadas, na grande maioria nêutrons. Dentro deste contexto além de analisar a suscetibilidade de projetos gerados por ferramenta de Síntese de Alto Nível, torna-se relevante o estudo de técnicas de redundância como TMR (Triple Modular Redundance) para detecção, correção de erros e comparação com projetos desprotegidos verificando a confiabilidade. Os resultados mostram que no modo de injeção de falhas simples os projetos com redundância TMR demonstram ser efetivos. Na injeção de falhas acumuladas o projeto com múltiplos canais apresentou melhor confiabilidade do que o projeto desprotegido e com redundância de canal simples, tolerando um maior número de falhas antes de ter seu funcionamento comprometido. / This work consists of the study and analysis of the susceptibility to effects of radiation in circuits projects generated by High Level Synthesis tool for FPGAs Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGAs), that is, system-on-chip (SOC). Through an emulation fault injector using ICAP (Internal Configuration Access Port), located inside the FPGA, it is possible to inject single or accumulated failures of the type SEU (Single Event Upset), defined as disturbances that can affect the correct functioning of the device through the inversion of a bit by a charged particle. SEU is within the classification of SEEs (Single Event Effects), can occur due to the penetration of high energy particles from space and from the sun (cosmic and solar rays) in the Earth's atmosphere that collide with atoms of nitrogen and oxygen resulting in the production of charged particles, most of them neutrons. In this context, in addition to analyzing the susceptibility of projects generated by a High Level Synthesis tool, it becomes relevant to study redundancy techniques such as TMR (Triple Modular Redundancy) for detection, correction of errors and comparison with unprotected projects verifying the reliability. The results show that in the simple fault injection mode TMR redundant projects prove to be effective. In the case of accumulated fault injection, the multichannel design presented better reliability than the unprotected design and with single channel redundancy, tolerating a greater number of failures before its operation was compromised.

Conversores A/D do tipo aproximações sucessivas (SAR) baseados em redistribuição de carga são frequentemente utilizados em aplicações envolvendo a aquisição de sinais, principalmente as que exigem um baixo consumo de área e energia e boa velocidade de conversão. Esta topologia está presente em diversos dispositivos programáveis comerciais, como também em circuitos integrados de propósito geral. Tais dispositivos, quando expostos a ambientes suscetíveis a radiação, como é o caso de aplicações espaciais, estão sujeitos à colisão com partículas capazes de ionizar o silício. Estes podem causar falhas temporárias, como um efeito transiente, uma inversão de bit em um elemento de memória, ou até mesmo danos permanentes no circuito. Este trabalho visa descrever o comportamento do conversor SAR baseado em redistribuição de carga após a ocorrência de efeitos transientes causados por radiação, por meio de simulação SPICE. Tais efeitos podem causar falhas nos componentes da topologia: chaves, lógica de controle e comparador. Estes são propagados por todo o estágio de conversão, devido à sua característica sequencial de conversão. Por fim, uma discussão sobre as possíveis técnicas de mitigação de falhas para esta topologia é apresentada. / Successive Approximation Register (SAR) Analog to Digital Converters (ADCs) based on charge redistribution are frequently used in data acquisition systems, especially those requiring low power and low area, and good conversion speed. This topology is present on several mixed-signal programmable devices. These devices, when exposed to harsh environments, such as radiation, which is the case for space applications, are prone to Single Event Effects (SEEs). These effects may cause temporary failures, such as transient effects or memory upsets or even permanent failures on the circuit. This work presents the behavior of this type of converter after the occurrence of a transient fault on the circuit, by means of SPICE simulations. These transient faults may cause an inversion on the conversion due to a transient on the control logic of the switches, or a charge or discharge of the capacitors when a transient occur on the switches, as well as a failure on the comparator, which may propagate to the remainder stages of conversion, due to the sequential nature of the converter. A discussion about the possible fault mitigation techniques is also presented.

abstract: The space environment comprises cosmic ray particles, heavy ions and high energy electrons and protons. Microelectronic circuits used in space applications such as satellites and space stations are prone to upsets induced by these particles. With transistor dimensions shrinking due to continued scaling, terrestrial integrated circuits are also increasingly susceptible to radiation upsets. Hence radiation hardening is a requirement for microelectronic circuits used in both space and terrestrial applications. This work begins by exploring the different radiation hardened flip-flops that have been proposed in the literature and classifies them based on the different hardening techniques. A reduced power delay element for the temporal hardening of sequential digital circuits is presented. The delay element single event transient tolerance is demonstrated by simulations using it in a radiation hardened by design master slave flip-flop (FF). Using the proposed delay element saves up to 25% total FF power at 50% activity factor. The delay element is used in the implementation of an 8-bit, 8051 designed in the TSMC 130 nm bulk CMOS. A single impinging ionizing radiation particle is increasingly likely to upset multiple circuit nodes and produce logic transients that contribute to the soft error rate in most modern scaled process technologies. The design of flip-flops is made more difficult with increasing multi-node charge collection, which requires that charge storage and other sensitive nodes be separated so that one impinging radiation particle does not affect redundant nodes simultaneously. We describe a correct-by-construction design methodology to determine a-priori which hardened FF nodes must be separated, as well as a general interleaving scheme to achieve this separation. We apply the methodology to radiation hardened flip-flops and demonstrate optimal circuit physical organization for protection against multi-node charge collection. Finally, the methodology is utilized to provide critical node separation for a new hardened flip-flop design that reduces the power and area by 31% and 35% respectively compared to a temporal FF with similar hardness. The hardness is verified and compared to other published designs via the proposed systematic simulation approach that comprehends multiple node charge collection and tests resiliency to upsets at all internal and input nodes. Comparison of the hardness, as measured by estimated upset cross-section, is made to other published designs. Additionally, the importance of specific circuit design aspects to achieving hardness is shown. / Dissertation/Thesis / Doctoral Dissertation Electrical Engineering 2015