Risk Methodology for SEE Caused by Proton-Induced Fission of High-Z Materials in Microelectronics Packaging

Proton-induced fission of high- $Z$ materials can produce fluxes of high linear energy transfer (LET) ions that greatly exceed those from galactic cosmic ray (GCR) or even solar particle event (SPE) environments. These ions can pose significant threats to microelectronics. We develop methods to evaluate the risks for a range of destructive and nondestructive single-event effects (SEE) modes caused by this threat by evaluating the role of the proton environment, the amount and placement of high- $Z$ materials and overburden in the part, and the sensitive volume geometry for the SEE modes under consideration.