Ionizing radiation is capable of inducing undesired effects in most silicon devices. Broadly, an undesired effect resulting from a single event is called a Single Event Effect (SEE). In most cases, these events do not permanently damage the silicon device; SEEs that result in no permanent damage to the device are called soft errors. However, soft errors have the potential to reduce reliability.
AMD devices are designed to have an inherently low susceptibility to soft errors. However, AMD also recognizes that soft errors are unavoidable within commercial and practical constraints. As a result, AMD has integrated soft error detection and correction capability into many device families.
In many applications, soft errors can be ignored. In applications where higher reliability is desired, the integrated soft error detection and correction capability is usually sufficient. In demanding applications, the SEM Controller can ensure an even higher level of reliability.