Abstract
Semiconductor devices and integrated circuits (ICs) used in spacecraft are exposed to large amounts of ionizing radiation. These environmental hazards can result in consequences for microelectronic devices ranging from temporary loss of data to permanent loss of spacecraft functionality. The purpose of this project is to study the Single Event Effects (SEE) of memories in the low-earth orbital radiation environment. SEEs are caused by a single ionizing radiation particle passing through a sensitive region of an electronic or photonic device. Prediction of SEE occurrence rate requires knowledge of both radiation environment and electronic devices. To address this problem using a systematic, peer-reviewed methodology, the 1996 revision of the Cosmic Ray Effects on Microelectronics (CREME96) suite developed by the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) is used for this work. We find that shielding materials can reduce the rate at which microelectronics are damaged, but the environment plays an important role in determining the amount of shielding required for a given mission lifetime. Mentor(s): Peter Bermel, Discovery Park, I-GSDI Allen Garner, Purdue University
Recommended Citation
Xie, Ricardo, "Radiation Hardened Technologies for Microelectronics in Space" (2021). Purdue Undergraduate Research Conference. 1.
https://docs.lib.purdue.edu/purc/2021/oral_presentations/1
Radiation Hardened Technologies for Microelectronics in Space
Semiconductor devices and integrated circuits (ICs) used in spacecraft are exposed to large amounts of ionizing radiation. These environmental hazards can result in consequences for microelectronic devices ranging from temporary loss of data to permanent loss of spacecraft functionality. The purpose of this project is to study the Single Event Effects (SEE) of memories in the low-earth orbital radiation environment. SEEs are caused by a single ionizing radiation particle passing through a sensitive region of an electronic or photonic device. Prediction of SEE occurrence rate requires knowledge of both radiation environment and electronic devices. To address this problem using a systematic, peer-reviewed methodology, the 1996 revision of the Cosmic Ray Effects on Microelectronics (CREME96) suite developed by the Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) is used for this work. We find that shielding materials can reduce the rate at which microelectronics are damaged, but the environment plays an important role in determining the amount of shielding required for a given mission lifetime. Mentor(s): Peter Bermel, Discovery Park, I-GSDI Allen Garner, Purdue University