Implications of Elevated Temperatures on the Accuracy of Pulsed-Laser SEE Testing

Elevated temperature can impact the accuracy of pulsed-laser (PL) single-event effect (SEE) testing primarily due to the temperature dependence of optical absorption. This is particularly true for laser wavelengths capable of through-wafer testing which are key for most recent-generation device technologies. This study accounts for the influence of temperature on the key parameter for PL testing, the laser-equivalent linear Energy transfer (LETL). This is accomplished by employing accurate models of the temperature-dependent absorption coefficients and validating the resulting calculations against experimental charge collection data over a range of wavelengths and temperatures. With this understanding, the impacts of elevated temperature on the accuracy of PL testing when investigating single-event transients (SETs) and single-event latchup (SEL) are discussed in terms of ramifications and approaches for remediation.