Space radiation effects engineering
Radiation hardness assurance for space electronics
Tools for analyzing radiation test data, estimating on-orbit event rates, and planning tests for space electronics. Each tool includes its methods and references and runs in your browser without an account.
Charge collection and single event effects
A heavy ion or a recoil produced by a proton interaction creates electron-hole pairs along its path through a device. Charge collected at a sensitive node can upset a memory cell, produce a transient, or trigger latchup. Measurements of cross section versus LET provide the basis for estimating heavy-ion event rates.
NewUnderstanding SEL: an interactive model of the mechanism and the variables that drive itDevice degradation from total ionizing dose
As dose accumulates, trapped charge and interface traps can shift transistor thresholds, increase leakage, and degrade bipolar gain. Dose rate can also affect the response of bipolar parts. Lot acceptance testing uses sample statistics to account for variation among units.
Displacement damage in semiconductor devices
Protons and neutrons can displace atoms from the semiconductor lattice. The resulting defects reduce carrier lifetime and can degrade bipolar gain and optocoupler current transfer ratio. Non-ionizing energy loss (NIEL) provides an approximate basis for comparing displacement damage at different particle energies.
The radiation environment at the device
Orbit, mission duration, solar activity, and shielding determine the radiation exposure at a device. SEE rate calculations combine the particle spectrum with the device cross section. Solar particle events require separate assessment because brief periods of high flux can dominate outages and recovery demands.
NewThe radiation environment in 3D: the orbits and missions behind the rate environmentsTools
Radiation analysis tools
Browse by radiation effect or analysis task. Each tool explains its method, assumptions, limitations, and references.
SEE cross sections
Fit a Weibull to heavy-ion test data with Poisson counting uncertainties.
SEE rates
Estimate on-orbit event rates from cross sections and a mission spectrum.
Alpha law
A candidate directional model for FinFETs, where the integral RPP falls short. Not yet validated.
Memory EDAC and scrubbing
Estimate uncorrectable error rates with memory interleaving and scrubbing.
SEE availability
Calculate function availability and reliability from event rates, recovery times, and redundancy.
SEL threshold predictor
Estimate SEL threshold and uncertainty from a latchup observation or a zero-event test.
SEL test LET
Determine the test LET needed for a specified reliability goal.
Latchup protection
Assess current limiting and power cycling for latchup protection.
Proton proxy
Assess heavy-ion susceptibility left unconstrained by a zero-event proton test.
Power device derating
Estimate voltage derating for single event burnout and gate rupture.
TID lot acceptance
Evaluate TID lot acceptance using one-sided tolerance limits and export a report.
TID priors
Review total dose response distributions for the selected device family.
NIEL and DDD
Displacement damage dose and 1 MeV neutron equivalence.
Heavy-ion beam
Calculate LET and remaining ion range after passage through the material stack.
Proton dose and flux
Calculate proton flux and dose rate from beam current and spot size.
BOM screener
Find public radiation data and population priors for parts on a bill of materials.
Parts advisor
Identify radiation effects, test needs, and mitigation options for a part.
SEE analysis workbook
Document part-level effects, mission budgets, supporting evidence, and open items.
REDW data
Compare radiation test result distributions across device classes.
Guides
Guides to radiation testing and analysis
Latchup or high-current SEFI?
How reset, supply-voltage, and power-cycle tests help distinguish the mechanisms, and how ion range and temperature affect the results.
Heavy ion SEE test planning
Planning LET, fluence, ion range, bias, and temperature, with references to the applicable test methods.
How to run a single event effects analysis
The eight parts of a complete analysis, team responsibilities, and a checklist for technical review.
Community
Discuss test results and analysis methods
Use the forum to discuss test results, compare analysis methods, and ask about discrepancies between measurements and predictions.