Alpha strike (engineering)

Alpha strike is a term referring to the event when an alpha particle, a composite charged particle composed of two protons and two neutrons, enters a computer and modifies the data or operation of a component in the computer.[1]

Alpha strikes can disturb the silicon substrate of the transistors in a computer through their electronic stopping power, causing the transistor to flip states if the charge imparted by the strike crosses a critical threshold (QCrit). This, in turn, can corrupt the information stored by that transistor and create a cascading effect on the operation of the component that encases it.[2][3]

History

The first widely recognized radiation-generated error in a computer was the appearance of random errors in the Intel 4k 2107 DRAM in the late 1970s. This problem was investigated by Timothy C. Mays and Murray H. Woods, who (in 1979) reported that the errors were caused by alpha decay from trace amounts of uranium and thorium induced in the seminal paper surrounding the chip.[3]

Since then, there have been multiple incidents of computer errors due to radiation, including error reports from computers onboard spacecraft, corrupted data from voting machines, and crashes on computers onboard aircraft.[4]

According to a study from Hughes Aircraft Company, anomalies in satellite communication attributed to galactic cosmic radiation is on the order of (3.1×10−3) transistors per year. This rate is an estimate of the number of noticeable cascading errors in communication between satellites per satellite.[5]

Modern Impact

Alpha strikes are limiting the computing capabilities of computers onboard high-altitude vehicles as the energy an alpha particle imparts on the transistors of a computer is far more consequential for smaller transistors. As a result, computers with smaller transistors and higher computing capability are more prone to errors and crashes than computers with larger transistors.[4][2]

One potential solution for optimizing the performance of computers onboard spacecraft while limiting the number of errors in the computer is the use of radiation protection. There a numerous materials under consideration as radiation shields, each with its own tradeoff between cost, weight, thermal diffusivity, and signal permittivity. One potential solution being explored by scientists and engineers is hydrogenated carbon nanofibers, a material that is light and can absorb alpha strikes through its internal structure.[6][7]

See also

References

  1. ^ "Alpha particles". 26 April 2017.
  2. ^ a b Mukherjee, Shubu (2008). "Device- and Circuit-Level Modeling, Measurement, and Mitigation". Architecture Design for Soft Errors. pp. 43–78. doi:10.1016/B978-012369529-1.50004-5. ISBN 978-0-12-369529-1.
  3. ^ a b Rauch, Stewart E. (2007). "Terrestrial Radiation Induced Soft Errors in Integrated Circuits" (PDF). Radiation Induced Soft Errors. IEEE.
  4. ^ a b "Particles from outer space are wreaking low-grade havoc on personal electronics". phys.org.
  5. ^ Binder, D.; Smith, E. C.; Holman, A. B. (1975). "Satellite Anomalies from Galactic Cosmic Rays". IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science. 22 (6): 2675–2680. Bibcode:1975ITNS...22.2675B. doi:10.1109/TNS.1975.4328188. S2CID 3032512.
  6. ^ Talyzin, Alexandr V.; Luzan, Serhiy; Anoshkin, Ilya V.; Nasibulin, Albert G.; Jiang, Hua; Kauppinen, Esko I.; Mikoushkin, Valery M.; Shnitov, Vladimir V.; Marchenko, Dmitry E.; Noréus, Dag (28 June 2011). "Hydrogenation, Purification, and Unzipping of Carbon Nanotubes by Reaction with Molecular Hydrogen: Road to Graphane Nanoribbons". ACS Nano. 5 (6): 5132–5140. doi:10.1021/nn201224k. PMID 21504190.
  7. ^ Wilson, J.W.; Shinn, J.L.; Tripathi, R.K.; Singleterry, R.C.; Clowdsley, M.S.; Thibeault, S.A.; Cheatwood, F.M.; Schimmerling, W.; Cucinotta, F.A.; Badhwar, G.D.; Noor, A.K.; Kim, M.Y.; Badavi, F.F.; Heinbockel, J.H.; Miller, J.; Zeitlin, C.; Heilbronn, L. (August 2001). "Issues in deep space radiation protection". Acta Astronautica. 49 (3–10): 289–312. Bibcode:2001AcAau..49..289W. doi:10.1016/s0094-5765(01)00107-2. PMID 11669118.
Stub icon

This computer-engineering-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by adding missing information.

Content Disclaimer

Informasi ini disarikan dari Wikipedia dan disajikan kembali untuk tujuan edukasi. Konten tersedia di bawah lisensi CC BY-SA 3.0. Kami tidak bertanggung jawab atas ketidakakuratan data yang bersumber dari kontribusi publik tersebut.

  1. The information displayed on this website is sourced in part or in whole from Wikipedia and has been adapted for the purpose of restating it. We strive to provide accurate and relevant information, however:
  2. There is no guarantee of absolute accuracy. Wikipedia is an open, collaborative project that can be edited by anyone, so information is subject to change.
  3. It is not intended to constitute professional advice. The content displayed is for informational and educational purposes only. For important decisions (e.g., medical, legal, or financial), please consult a professional.
  4. Content copyright. Wikipedia is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License (CC BY-SA). This means that content may be reused with appropriate attribution and shared under a similar license.
  5. Responsible use. Any risk arising from the use of information from this website is entirely the responsibility of the user.