S4 - Machine learning based soft error rate estimation of pass transistor logic in high-speed communication

Abstract

Recent advanced high-speed communication systems, such as optical systems, require highest reliability at lowest possible power consumption. Thus, Pass Transistor Logic (PTL) is gaining lots of interest in these communication systems due to its power saving potential compared to traditional CMOS logic. However, due to the non-conventional logic structure, its susceptibility to radiation-induced soft errors is different from CMOS circuitry. Due to the unique generation and propagation of Single Event Transients (SETs) in PTL, different approaches for PTL soft error rate (SER) estimation are required. In this paper we propose a machine learning (ML) approach for SET propagation in PTL logic. Multi-layer feed-forward neural network together with support vector classifier (SVC) are used to build the SET pulse width and pulse amplitude models. Bayesian optimization using Gaussian Processes is utilized to tune the hyperparameters of neural network. The experimental results on full adder (FA), which is the key component in many large cirucits such as ALU, and comparison with Monte Carlo (MC) spectre simulations confirm the accuracy and speed of the proposed method.