How the analysis of archival data could provide helpful information about TID degradation. Case study: Bipolar transistors

A critical step of radiation hardness assurance (RHA) for space systems is given by the parts selection in accordance with the observed (or estimated) radiation effects. Although radiation testing is the most decisive way of studying the radiation degradation of electronic components, the increasing use of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) devices and the challenges posed by NewSpace are pushing the need of finding new approaches to assess the risk associated with radiation environments. This work tries to evaluate if valuable information might be extracted from archival data to carry out this assessment despite the well-known and dramatic lot-to-lot, or even part-to-part, variability for some technologies and the impact of the different test conditions, such as the bias conditions and the dose rate in enhanced low dose rate sensitivity (ELDRS). These factors are briefly analyzed for some examples. A new radiation database is briefly introduced, and some statistical approaches are cited, apart from the analysis herein followed. To finish, a first analysis on three families of bipolar transistors is presented together with the independent results from three external reports, with a good agreement between the experimental results and the expected ones.10.13039/501100002878-Junta de Andalucia and Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (FEDER) Funds through the Singular Project Predicción del Comportamiento Eléctrico de Dispositivos Electrónicos bajo Radiación (PRECEDER) (Grant Number: CEI-5-RNM138). 10.13039/501100004837-Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation under Project (Grant Number: PID2019-108377RB-C32)Peer reviewe

Analysis of the Radiation Field Generated by 200-MeV Electrons on a Target at the CLEAR Accelerator at CERN

The radiation showers generated by the interaction of high-energy electrons with matter include neutrons with an energy distribution peaked at the MeV scale, produced via photonuclear reactions, allowing measurements of neutron-induced single-event effects (SEEs) in electronic devices. In this work, we study a setup where the 200-MeV electron beam of the CLEAR accelerator at European Organization for Nuclear Research [Centre Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire (CERN)] is directed on an aluminum target to produce a radiation field with a large neutron component. The resulting environment is analyzed by measuring the single-event upset (SEU) and latchup rates in well-characterized static random access memories (SRAMs), as well as the total ionizing dose (TID) in passive radio-photoluminescence (RPL) dosimeters, and by comparing the results with predictions from FLUKA simulations. We find that a lateral shielding made of lead protects the SRAMs from an excessive TID rate, yielding an optimal configuration for SEU measurements, particularly in SRAMs that are highly sensitive to MeV-scale neutrons. This setup provides an interesting complementary neutron source with respect to standard neutron facilities based on spallation targets or radioactive sources

Electronics Irradiation With Neutrons at the NEAR Station of the n_TOF Spallation Source at CERN

We study the neutron field at the NEAR station of the neutron time-of-flight (n_TOF) facility at CERN, through Monte Carlo simulations, well-characterized static random access memories (SRAMs), and radio-photoluminescence (RPL) dosimeters, with the aim of providing neutrons for electronics irradiation. Particle fluxes and typical quantities relevant for electronics testing were simulated for several test positions at NEAR and compared to those at the CERN high-energy accelerator mixed-field facility (CHARM), highlighting similitudes and differences. The SRAM detectors, based on single-event upset (SEU) and single-event latch-up (SEL) counts, each one with a different energy response, and RPL dosimeters were tested in a reference position, and the results were benchmarked to FLUKA simulations. Finally, the neutron spectra at NEAR are compared to those of the most well-known spallation sources and typical environments of interest, for accelerator and atmospheric applications, showing the potential of the facility for electronics irradiation

Ultra-large Silicon Diode for Characterising Low-intensity Radiation Environments

International audienc

Mixed-field Radiation Monitoring and Beam Characterisation Through Silicon Diode Detectors

International audienc