Single-Event Effect Characterization of 32 Gbps Transmitter in Sub-20 nm FinFET Technology

Abstract

This paper first presents a radiation-tolerant transmitter (TX) for aerospace high-speed serial communication. The architecture comprises a parallel-to-serial converter (P2S), a clocking module, and a driver, supporting 1 Gbps to 32 Gbps data rates. To enhance single-event effects (SEEs) tolerance, a foreground duty-cycle correction technique is implemented, along with SEE-hardened flip-flops and latches based on the dual inter-locked cell topology. The TX is fabricated in a sub-20 nm fin field-effect transistor (FinFET) technology. At 32 Gbps, the TX achieves an output eye height of 110 mV and an eye width of 18.5 ps (0.59 UI), with a total power consumption of 115.8 mW. SEE sensitivities have been characterized by heavy ions with a linear energy transfer from 5.5 MeV·cm²/mg to 77.1 MeV·cm²/mg, with only bit-error single-event transients (BSETs) and non-error fake single-event transients (FSETs) observed. Pulsed laser tests with energy up to 1.0 nJ were conducted, and the P2S was identified as the most SEE-sensitive module, with a saturation cross-section of approximately 3 × 10⁻⁶ cm² at 0.8 nJ. These results validate the radiation resilience of the proposed TX and provide critical guidance for targeted radiation-hardening design of high-speed TXs in advanced FinFET technology.