A software approach to protecting embedded system memory from single event upsets

Abstract

Radiation from radioactive environments, such as those encountered during space flight, can cause damage to embedded systems. One of the most common examples is the single event upset (SEU), which occurs when a high-energy ionizing particle passes through an integrated circuit, changing the value of a single bit by releasing its charge. The SEU could cause damage and potentially fatal failures to spacecraft and satellites. In this paper, we present an approach that extends the AVR-GCC compiler to protect the system stack from SEUs through duplication, validation, and recovery. Three applications are used to verify our approach, and the time and space overhead characteristics are evaluated.