Abstract
RADNEXT - Responding to the Emerging Needs of Radiation Testing
Gerd Datzmann1, Ennio Capria2, Rubén García Alía3
1 Datzmann interact & innovate GmbH, München, Deutschland
2 ESRF, Grenoble, France
3 CERN, Geneva, SwitzerlandInstitute of Electronics and Systems, CNRS, University of Montpellier, France
Abstract
Radiation hardness qualification procedures for electronic components and systems require testing at facilities providing high-energetic protons, heavy ions, neutrons, electrons as well as gamma-rays, X-rays and to some extent pulsed X-rays. These irradiation facilities ensure the emulation of the radiation environment that the electronic devices will face in real operation. Especially high-energetic protons, heavy ions and neutrons are generated at particle accelerator or research reactors located at universities or publicly funded institutions. Thus, industry is dependent on a service provision by large-scale research infrastructures and scientific laboratories.
The collaboration of radiation effects experts from industry with nuclear physics scientists from the facilities can be challenging, in particular in a business setting of selling a fee-based service to industry customers. Topics such as visibility of the service offering, availability and accessibility of the irradiation facilities will be discussed. However, a number of research facilities have established a professionally operated service that is regularly used for routine qualifications tests of microelectronic devices. Results of an in-depth study [1] will be presented, highlighting the facilitators and the barriers in the relationship between irradiation facility and its industrial users in Europe. Recently, the growing demand for testing – triggered to a large extent by new space projects – versus a static offering from the facilities is perceived as a great challenge in the field for the upcoming years.
The EU project RADNEXT [2] is a network of European irradiation facilities as well as academic, research and industrial partners from the radiation effects domain. Its main purpose is easing access to accelerator infrastructure for radiation effects users (mainly SEE) for space, atmospheric and high-energy accelerator applications. Since the launch of RADNEXT in June 2021 the program is continuously offering beamtime for external users via transnational access at more than 20 irradiation facilities in Europe including one facility in Canada. This keynote will describe the status and prospects of the RADNEXT project and will highlight a set of measures and initiatives that aim to solve current challenges in the field of radiation hardness assurance.
References
[1] G. Datzmann (2019). “Success factors and barriers in university-industry cooperation: Case study of radiation hardness testing services for microelectronic devices”, Master thesis, TUM School of Management, Technische Universität MünchenD.H. Habing, « The Use of Lasers to Simulate Radiation-Induced Transients in Semiconductor Devices and Circuits », IEEE Trans. Nucl. Sci., vol. 12, p. 91, 1965