Reliability analysis of comparators

This work focuses on the study of variability of analogue comparators. It has been reported that variability or uncertainties affected digital device's performance, as for SRAM cell and combinational circuits. With the lack of coverage for analogue circuits reliability and importance of studying the impact of single event transients on comparators with memory mechanism, particularly analogue comparators; this work has covered several research questions in order to investigate the impact of variability on both radiation-free and irradiated comparator circuit. Prior to variability analysis, a sensitivity analysis has been performed to analyze which is the most and the least sensitive transistors in the comparator circuit. The most sensitive transistors for the comparator belongs to the positive feedback stage while the least sensitive transistors belongs to pre-amplifier stage. Similar to digital circuits, variability has caused the comparator to fail and increases the sensitivity of the comparator circuits or components to the single event transients. Of the 4 design variability parameters, temperature, transistor's length, transistor's width and voltage supply; voltage supply has a very significant impact on increasing the comparator's vulnerability towards single event transients. While for a longer transistor's length, the single event transient impact on the comparator lasts longer.