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To: Saturn V who wrote (115187)10/30/2000 12:04:22 AM
From: Paul Engel  Read Replies (1) of 186894
 
Saturn V - Re: 'Tim Mays and Murray Woods were assigned to check out this possibility. They found that it wasnt Cosmic Rays, but Alpha Particles from Chip packaging, that were the culprit. '

You are mostly correct here - with two exceptions.

1. Tim May figured this out - but his Boss - Murray Woods - managed to get his name on the definitive "paper", published at the IRPS in 1978.

2. Cosmic Rays were confirmed to cause errors in dynamic memories at that time - at a much lower rate than alpha particles - but still measureable. Alpha particles were, as you noted, the dominant contributor to radiation induced soft errors.

As device geometries have gotten MUCH smaller in the past 22 years, the effect of Cosmic Rays on single particle upsets may have increased.

Whether this (Cosmic Rays) is really SUN's problem - has any confirmation been given - or is it still "conjecture"?

Paul
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