A single-event transient tolerant bandgap reference utilizing dual-modular-redundant (DMR) technique

—Bandgap reference (BG) is a crucial component commonly adopted in analog and mixed-signal systems. BG is vulnerable in space applications, which can lead to signal degradation and even subsequent module failure when subjected to heavy-ion strikes. This paper firstly proposes a radiation-hardened-by-design (RHBD) technique targeting DC bias stabilization, and specifically suitable for single-event transient (SET) mitigation in bandgap circuits. The structure incorporates a dual-modular-redundant (DMR) technique, with two branches simultaneously providing voltage to the output under regular circuit operation. Each BG branch can automatically detect signal disturbance and temporarily isolate from the output when a voltage transient is detected. This isolation remains in effect until the fluctuation returns to within a certain threshold range. Theoretically, this technique can minimize the SET amplitude to a negligible level regardless of bandgap structure and the output DC voltage. Laser experiments are conducted on circuits fabricated in 28 nm bulk CMOS process, which illustrate that the SET perturbation is almost eliminated attributed to the automatically sense and isolate of the error disturbance. This technique offers new insights for SET mitigation on constant DC voltage and is universally applicable for bandgap radiation-hardening design.