Efficient and Accurate Coupled Circuit and Substrate Simulation for Radiation Hard Electronics

Robust Chip proposes to develop a unique, new technique to couple circuit simulation and numerical device simulation, for efficient, flexible, and accurate simulation of transient radiation effects at the circuit level. The technique provides the accuracy and flexibility of numerical device simulation for the mobile charge in a semiconductor substrate, combined with the accuracy and speed of compact model simulation for the circuit. It can provide detailed information about the interactions between the circuit, substrate, cell layout and spacing, for radiation effects. This information can be used both for the verification, optimization, and synthesis at the layout level, and also as input for accurate and appropriate models, and modeling techniques, at higher levels in the design hierarchy, as required for successful design automation. In phase 1 the simulation technique will be extended, completed, and implemented into a prototype simulation tool, and accuracy and speed of the method will be verified. Supporting the simulation technique, the generation of a suitable, specialized numerical mesh in the substrate, and the coupling between the mesh and the layout will also be addressed.