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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 145 records · Page 8

System-Level Radiation Hardening

Although system-level radiation hardening can enable the use of high-performance components and enhance the capabilities of a spacecraft, hardening techniques can be costly and can compromise the very performance designers sought from the high-performance components. Moreover, such techniques often result in a complicated design, especially if several complex commercial microcircuits are used, each posing its own hardening challenges. The latter risk is particularly acute for Commercial-Off-The-Shelf components since high-performance parts (e.g. double-data-rate synchronous dynamic random access memories - DDR SDRAMs) may require other high-performance commercial parts (e.g. processors) to support their operation. For these reasons, it is essential that system-level radiation hardening be a coordinated effort, from setting requirements through testing up to and including validation.

Radiation Hardness Assurance (RHA)↗

What Can We Learn From Proton Recoils about Heavy-Ion SEE Sensitivity?

The fact that protons cause single-event effects (SEE) in most devices through production of light-ion recoils has led to attempts to bound heavy-ion SEE susceptibility through use of proton data. Although this may be a viable strategy for some devices and technologies, the data must be analyzed carefully and conservatively to avoid over-optimistic estimates of SEE performance. We examine the constraints that proton test data can impose on heavy-ion SEE susceptibility.

probabilistic risk assessment↗

Silicon Schottky Diode Safe Operating Area

Vulnerability of a variety of candidate spacecraft electronics to total ionizing dose and displacement damage is studied. Devices tested include optoelectronics, digital, analog, linear bipolar devices, and hybrid devices.

single event effects (SEE)↗

Proton Testing: Opportunities, Pitfalls and Puzzles

Although proton SEE testing can place constraints on some heavy-ion SEE susceptibilities, it is important to quantify residual risk that protons may not reveal all SEE susceptibilities in a system. We examine the relative strengths and limitations of proton and heavy-ion SEE testing and how these may be affected by technology scaling and high-Z materials in the device.

Protons↗

New Approach to Total Dose Specification for Spacecraft Electronics

Variability of the space radiation environment is investigated with regard to total dose specification for spacecraft electronics. It is shown to have a significant impact. A new approach is developed for total dose requirements that replaces the radiation design margin concept with failure probability during a mission.

Device Failure Probability↗

Destructive Single-Event Effects in Diodes

In this work, we discuss the observed single-event effects in a variety of types of diodes. In addition, we conduct failure analysis on several Schottky diodes that were heavy-ion irradiated. High- and low-magnitude optical microscope images, infrared camera images, and scanning electron microscope images are used to identify and describe the failure locations.

single event effects (SEE); Schottky diode; heavy ↗

Bringing Single-Event Effects Down to Earth

In the 47 years since single-event effects were first observed in spacecraft electronics, radiation experts have developed an effective methodology supported by a nationwide infrastructure. A highly skilled workforce of radiation engineers has developed test facilities and methods, modeling and simulation techniques, and mitigation and design strategies to ensure space missions meet their performance and reliability requirements even in the harsh radiation environments of space. Now, increasing performance demands of space missions, the continued disruptive evolution of microcircuit technologies and growth and changes of the space industry have combined with an aging infrastructure are placing increasing strain on the radiation effects community, and the community is responding.

Single-event effects↗

A New Market for Terrestrial Single-Event Effects: Autonomous Vehicles

ISO-26262, the road vehicle functional safety standard, underwent a major overhaul that was released in December 2018. Radiation effects, and single-event effect (SEE) hazards in particular, play an important role in autonomous vehicle safety. This connection will only increase as the level of driving automation goes from "hands off," to "eyes off," to "mind off." This translates to increased coupling with space climate and weather in addition to other traditional terrestrial radiation sources like thorium and uranium contamination in process and packaging materials. We will focus on autonomous vehicle radiation effects and present both benefits and challenges to the space weather and radiation engineering communities.

Autonomous Vehicles↗

Inclusion of Radiation Environment Variability for Reliability Estimates for SiC Power MOSFETs

Variability of the solar energetic particle environment is investigated for single-event-burnout reliability of silicon-carbide power metal-oxide-semiconductor field effect transistors. A probabilistic assessment of failure evaluates the benefits of de-rating voltage, shielding, and mission length. The Prediction of Solar particle Yields for Characterizing Integrating Circuits code is used to calculate a cumulative density function for the fluence of the environment. The lethal ion method is then used to determine what proportion of the environment will cause single-event-burnout. The operating voltage determines the lowest linear-energy-transfer particle that will cause single-event-burnout and that should be included in the environment distribution. The shielding and mission length also determine the final environment distribution of the mission fluence. Through calculating the reliability for different operating voltages, shielding, and mission length for a specific device, it is shown that shielding thickness and operating voltage have a large effect on reliability and can be traded off during the design.

Heavy ion↗

Topics in Reliability

This talk will wind through the details of history of reliability in the agency, where things are today, and where we need to go tomorrow. It will provide many examples of reliability that are often discounted because they are not tied to some mantra from the past. Furthermore, it will separate us from the red herrings that are ever present based on the misuse of terms and practices in reliability. It will delve into several key subject matter areas that have long been considered the key reliability drivers, such as parts, printed circuit boards, radiation, and workmanship. Finally, it will highlight how the Center and Agency need to change our approach at learning lessons from past experiences to maintain a basis for reliability long into the future.

COTS↗

Product assurance technology for procuring reliable, radiation-hard, custom LSI/VLSI electronics

Advanced measurement methods using microelectronic test chips are described. These chips are intended to be used in acquiring the data needed to qualify Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASIC's) for space use. Efforts were focused on developing the technology for obtaining custom IC's from CMOS/bulk silicon foundries. A series of test chips were developed: a parametric test strip, a fault chip, a set of reliability chips, and the CRRES (Combined Release and Radiation Effects Satellite) chip, a test circuit for monitoring space radiation effects. The technical accomplishments of the effort include: (1) development of a fault chip that contains a set of test structures used to evaluate the density of various process-induced defects; (2) development of new test structures and testing techniques for measuring gate-oxide capacitance, gate-overlap capacitance, and propagation delay; (3) development of a set of reliability chips that are used to evaluate failure mechanisms in CMOS/bulk: interconnect and contact electromigration and time-dependent dielectric breakdown; (4) development of MOSFET parameter extraction procedures for evaluating subthreshold characteristics; (5) evaluation of test chips and test strips on the second CRRES wafer run; (6) two dedicated fabrication runs for the CRRES chip flight parts; and (7) publication of two papers: one on the split-cross bridge resistor and another on asymmetrical SRAM (static random access memory) cells for single-event upset analysis.

Buehler, M. G.↗