Real-time soft-error rate measurements: A review

•Recent real-time soft-error rate (SER) experiments are reviewed.•His paper discusses the specific advantages and limitations of this approach.•Reported experiments have been conducted at sea-level, in altitude and underground.•SER results concern modern CMOS logic technologies, down to 40 nm.•Real-time SER data are compared with results obtained using accelerated tests.

The real-time (or life testing) soft-error rate (SER) measurement is an experimental reliability technique to determine the soft error sensitivity of a given component, circuit or system from the monitoring of a population of devices subjected to natural radiation and operating under nominal conditions. This review gives a survey over recent real-time SER experiments, conducted in altitude and/or underground, and investigating modern CMOS logic technologies, down to the 40 nm technological node. The review also includes our different contributions conducted during the last decade on the ASTEP Platform (Altitude Single Event Effects Test European Platform) and at the LSM facility (Underground Laboratory of Modane) to characterize soft error mechanisms in advanced static (SRAM) memories. Finally, the review discusses the specific advantages and limitations of this approach as well as its comparison with accelerated tests using intense particle beams or sources.