Pulsed laser beam identification of SEEsensitive regions and observation of additional failure modes relevant for RHA in Digital Isolators

A pulsed laser mapping of Digital Isolators, previously characterized with heavy ions at RADEF, not only identified the regions sensitive to single-event effects (SEE) but also revealed additional failure modes (i.e. high-frequency ringing and latchup) not seen during heavy ion testing. So this device was considered latchup free up to an LET of 60 MeV cm2/mg. But those effects could also be induced by highly penetrating particles and hence must be taken into account for radiation hardness assurance (RHA). In addition it was possible to measure the sensitive area for the different types of SEE at different laser energies.