Spacecraft depend on electronic components that must perform reliably over missions measured in years and decades. Space radiation is a primary source of degradation, reliability issues, and potentially failure for these electronic components. Although simulation and modeling are valuable for understanding the radiation risk to microelectronics, there is no substitute for testing, and an increased use of commercial-off-the- shelf parts in spacecraft may actually increase requirements for testing, as opposed to simulation and modeling. Testing at the Speed of Light evaluates the nation's current capabilities and future needs for testing the effects of space radiation on microelectronics to ensure mission success and makes recommendations on how to provide effective stewardship of the necessary radiation test infrastructure for the foreseeable future.
Ionizing Radiation Effects in Electronics: From Memories to Imagers delivers comprehensive coverage of the effects of ionizing radiation on state-of-the-art semiconductor devices. The book also offers valuable insight into modern radiation-hardening techniques. The text begins by providing important background information on radiation effects, their underlying mechanisms, and the use of Monte Carlo techniques to simulate radiation transport and the effects of radiation on electronics. The book then: Explains the effects of radiation on digital commercial devices, including microprocessors and volatile and nonvolatile memories—static random-access memories (SRAMs), dynamic random-access memories (DRAMs), and Flash memories Examines issues like soft errors, total dose, and displacement damage, together with hardening-by-design solutions for digital circuits, field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), and mixed-analog circuits Explores the effects of radiation on fiber optics and imager devices such as complementary metal-oxide-semiconductor (CMOS) sensors and charge-coupled devices (CCDs) Featuring real-world examples, case studies, extensive references, and contributions from leading experts in industry and academia, Ionizing Radiation Effects in Electronics: From Memories to Imagers is suitable both for newcomers who want to become familiar with radiation effects and for radiation experts who are looking for more advanced material or to make effective use of beam time.
This wide-ranging book summarizes the current knowledge of radiation defects in semiconductors, outlining the shortcomings of present experimental and modelling techniques and giving an outlook on future developments. It also provides information on the application of sensors in nuclear power plants.
A practical guide to the effects of radiation on semiconductor components of electronic systems, and techniques for the designing, laying out, and testing of hardened integrated circuits This book teaches the fundamentals of radiation environments and their effects on electronic components, as well as how to design, lay out, and test cost-effective hardened semiconductor chips not only for today’s space systems but for commercial terrestrial applications as well. It provides a historical perspective, the fundamental science of radiation, and the basics of semiconductors, as well as radiation-induced failure mechanisms in semiconductor chips. Integrated Circuits Design for Radiation Environments starts by introducing readers to semiconductors and radiation environments (including space, atmospheric, and terrestrial environments) followed by circuit design and layout. The book introduces radiation effects phenomena including single-event effects, total ionizing dose damage and displacement damage) and shows how technological solutions can address both phenomena. Describes the fundamentals of radiation environments and their effects on electronic components Teaches readers how to design, lay out and test cost-effective hardened semiconductor chips for space systems and commercial terrestrial applications Covers natural and man-made radiation environments, space systems and commercial terrestrial applications Provides up-to-date coverage of state-of-the-art of radiation hardening technology in one concise volume Includes questions and answers for the reader to test their knowledge Integrated Circuits Design for Radiation Environments will appeal to researchers and product developers in the semiconductor, space, and defense industries, as well as electronic engineers in the medical field. The book is also helpful for system, layout, process, device, reliability, applications, ESD, latchup and circuit design semiconductor engineers, along with anyone involved in micro-electronics used in harsh environments.
Starting from basic principles, this book describes the rapidly growing field of modern semiconductor detectors used for energy and position measurement radiation. The author, whose own contributions to these developments have been significant, explains the working principles of semiconductor radiation detectors in an intuitive way. Broad coverage is also given to electronic signal readout and to the subject of radiation damage.
Space applications, nuclear physics, military operations, medical imaging, and especially electronics (modern silicon processing) are obvious fields in which radiation damage can have serious consequences, i.e., degradation of MOS devices and circuits. Zeroing in on vital aspects of this broad and complex topic, Radiation Effects in Semiconductors addresses the ever-growing need for a clear understanding of radiation effects on semiconductor devices and circuits to combat potential damage it can cause. Features a chapter authored by renowned radiation authority Lawrence T. Clark on Radiation Hardened by Design SRAM Strategies for TID and SEE Mitigation This book analyzes the radiation problem, focusing on the most important aspects required for comprehending the degrading effects observed in semiconductor devices, circuits, and systems when they are irradiated. It explores how radiation interacts with solid materials, providing a detailed analysis of three ways this occurs: Photoelectric effect, Compton effect, and creation of electron-positron pairs. The author explains that the probability of these three effects occurring depends on the energy of the incident photon and the atomic number of the target. The book also discusses the effects that photons can have on matter—in terms of ionization effects and nuclear displacement Written for post-graduate researchers, semiconductor engineers, and nuclear and space engineers with some electronics background, this carefully constructed reference explains how ionizing radiation is creating damage in semiconducting devices and circuits and systems—and how that damage can be avoided in areas such as military/space missions, nuclear applications, plasma damage, and X-ray-based techniques. It features top-notch international experts in industry and academia who address emerging detector technologies, circuit design techniques, new materials, and innovative system approaches.
The first comprehensive overview describing the effects of ionizing radiation on MOS devices, as well as how to design, fabricate, and test integrated circuits intended for use in a radiation environment. Also addresses process-induced radiation effects in the fabrication of high-density circuits. Reviews the history of radiation-hard technology, providing background information for those new to the field. Includes a comprehensive review of the literature and an annotated listing of research activities in radiation-hardness research.
