Testing at the Speed of Light The State of U.S. Electronic Parts Space Radiation Testing Infrastructure (2018) / Chapter Skim
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3 Current State of Single-Event Effects Hardness Assurance and Infrastructure
3 Current State of Single-Event Effects Hardness Assurance and Infrastructure
Pages 20-43
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From page 20... ...
This chapter describes the radiation hardness assurance methodology and assesses the existing infrastructure for verifying the ability of existing and emerging microelectronic, optoelectronic, and photonic components to operate properly in the space radiation environment. The committee's definition of infrastructure includes the following: facilities and related resources necessary to characterize failure modes of electronic components induced by radiation stress; simulation capabilities and related theory and modeling; facilities and related resources available for undertaking those simulations; an inventory of radiation-hardened and/or tested parts, along with the data and models that represent them; workforce available to conduct such simulation and characterization; and the training and research experience programs in place to prepare a workforce for these activities.
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From page 21... ...
SEE risk can never be zero, but extensive analysis of potential failure mechanisms, radiation testing of vulnerable components (Figure 3.1.1) to ensure that the parts are robust for the expected radiation environment, and systems design to minimize the impact of nexpected failures have resulted in thousands of successful missions since the beginning of the u space era.
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From page 22... ...
If all of the above goals can be achieved, the device response for each SEE mode and each test condition serves as input for SEE rate-estimation tools to characterize device responses to heavy ions. Unfortunately, some SEE modes are sufficiently complicated that rate estimation is not viable (e.g., for single-event gate rupture [SEGR]
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From page 23... ...
The process involves preparing the parts to ensure that ions reach the sensitive volumes in the semiconductor responsible for the SEE; development of test hardware and a test plan tailored to the technology and characteristics of the part; irradiation at a particle accelerator, data analysis, preparation of a test report; and, finally, coordina tion with design engineers to ensure the susceptibilities observed during testing will not compromise part performance. The more complicated the part, the more costly and time-consuming each of these steps will be (Table 3.2.1)
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Nearly 70 percent of test costs are for highly skilled labor, and more than 50 percent of the cost is spent in the development phase. This makes it difficult to realize savings by "simplifying" the test.
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design engineer at a US a new detector technology I need to qualify the new detector for Whether the new detector will Mission risk if the new detector High National Lab use in space meet mission availability and has a latent SEE susceptibility performance requirements graduate student A thesis on radiation effects on I have a model of particle energy How well my model reproduces Completion of my student Low a new technology deposit in a test structure and I want to the actual energy deposition from research compare predictions with heavy-ions measurements. Research space scientist a new particle mass Actual particle exposure to a range of Calibration of my mass Project schedule and mission risk Medium spectrometer for a heavy elements will ensure my spectrometer requires ions at heliophysics science mission instrument meets its level-1 science energies similar to what I will requirements measure in space parts designer at a large chip a new part that I want to I need to quantify any SEE susceptibility Obtaining sufficient beam time to My ability to bring my product to High manufacturer market (can be for satellite, for the part datasheet characterize and benchmark the market in time aviation, or automotive use)
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From page 26... ...
device by an experienced NASA radiation testing group. As can be seen, test costs are front loaded, with nearly 70 percent of costs going to highly skilled labor and more than 50 percent of the costs being needed for test development.
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From page 27... ...
Test Documents Type of Testing/Environment Available Standards, Guidelines, and Methods Proton SEE Testing JEDEC JESD234: Test Standard for the Measurement of Proton Radiation Single-Event Effects in Electronic Devices (2013) ESCC 25100: Single-Event Effects Test Method and Guidelines (2014)
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From page 28... ...
With the closure of the proton accelerator at the Indiana University Cyclotron Facility (IUCF) in 2014, the radiation community lost its major workhorse for high-energy proton testing.
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From page 29... ...
LBNL and TAMU can also provide proton beams in this energy range. Low-energy proton beams for investigating SEE due to direct proton ionization in deep submicron CMOS processes can be found at a variety of facilities, including UC Davis, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and Vanderbilt University.
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By far, the overwhelming majority (>90 percent) of heavy-ion beam-hours are provided by the two main accelerators -- the K500 accelerator at the TAMU Cyclotron Facility (providing ~3,100 hours/year)
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TABLE 3.4 U.S. Heavy-Ion Accelerators Currently/Recently in Use Energy Range Test Beam Facility MeV/nucleon Environment Cost Beam Hours Comment/Challenges/Advantages TAMU 15–40 Air ~$1,000 ~3,000 Near capacity with increasing wait times; broad range of ion test energies, species LBNL 4.5–30 Vacuum ~$2,300 2,000–2,500 Availability has fluctuated due to financial challenges; fast beam changes NSRL 50–1500 Air ~$6,000 100–200 Could provide more SEE test hours/cost and beam structure/ broad range of ion test energies, species; fast beam changes SEUTF ~1.7–8 Vacuum ~$1,000 ~100 Low-beam energy not suitable for all tests and technologies NSCL 72–143 Air ~$5,500 0 Not available -- future site of Facility for Rare Isotope Beams NOTE: LBNL, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory; NSCL, National Superconducting Cyclotron Laboratory; NSRL, NASA Space Radiation Laboratory; SEUTF, Single-Event Upset Test Facility; TAMU, Texas A&M University.
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From page 32... ...
, significantly increasing ion range and simplifying the task of testing some difficult parts in challenging packages. BASE offers the fastest beam changes of any widely used accelerator because it provides a "cocktail" of ions in which several ion species are accelerated at the same time, and the desired species is then selected for delivery to the experimenter.
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BROOKHAVEN SEU TEST FACILITY The SEU test facility at Brookhaven National Laboratory provides low-energy heavy-ion beams from a tandem Van de Graaff accelerator. The facility saw greater use in the 1990s than it does today.
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These techniques may surmount the limited resolution of laser testing as well as penetrate packaging and metallization over the sensitive volume. Although this technique is still an active area of research, it bears watching for the future (see Figure 3.5)
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From page 35... ...
The loss of roughly 30 percent of LBNL's beam hours in 2016 significantly increased demand at TAMU and resulted in increased wait times for testers. In addition, many of the accelerators in use for SEE testing are significantly older than their design life, and a failure of critical systems is becoming more likely -- especially if the financial health of the facilities does not permit increasing maintenance and replacement of vulnerable components prior to failure.
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DATA Single-Event Effect Testing Databases Another resource that is critical for preventing radiation test and qualification costs from escalating out of control is the archive of historical SEE test data in various databases and in the journals and conference proceedings for radiation effects. Table 3.5 summarizes all available databases.
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In the United States, much of the data available to builders of both conventional satellites and SmallSats, and much of the expertise for interpreting it, resides at NASA. On-Orbit Data and Validation of Methodologies Used for Single-Event Effect Hardness Assurance Given growing capabilities in space, especially commercial spacecraft that can support on-orbit technology development, it is feasible that more radiation-hardness assurance testing can occur on-orbit (as distinct from simulating the space environment terrestrially)
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From page 38... ...
For this SEE rate estimation, one constructs a model of the device structures and propagates the desired ion flux environment through this model, counting the events that deposit sufficient energy in the sensitive volume to cause an SEE. The MRED package uses realistic physics models for transport and energy loss of the ion, charge transport, nuclear interactions, and material properties of the device.
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. The device response data are then combined with models of the ion flux environment versus energy for each relevant ion species (left)
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PEOPLE -- WORKFORCE, EDUCATION, AND TRAINING As indicated in the preceding discussion, much of the success of hardness assurance depends on a well-trained, knowledgeable, and experienced workforce. Although individual radiation experts have particular specialties, s uccess in radiation hardness assurance requires understanding of the space environment and the available models thereof; semiconductor devices and technologies and their radiation susceptibilities; test development, preparation, and execution; data analysis; and spacecraft design.
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STATUS OF RADIATION EFFECTS WORKFORCE Radiation-hardness assurance employs a fairly small but highly trained workforce. Radiation experts must be familiar with radiation transport in materials, semiconductor physics, semiconductor device design, space radiation environments, and a variety of other fields.
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From page 42... ...
Because the few other proton accelerators with electronics testing experience did not have sufficient beam time to make up the difference, the SEE test community had to quickly find new proton beam facilities. In the absence of any standing organization that could have worked with management to shift more hours to electronics testing and adjusted the beam time costs to stabilize the situation, the community formed an ad hoc assessment team -- with representatives from NASA, the U.S.
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From page 43... ...
introduces uncertainty as to whether the radiation-hardened parts on which the community relies heavily will continue to be available in the future. The facilities used for radiation testing of electronics in the United States represent national assets of importance to the ability of the United States to operate national security, civilian, and commercial spacecraft.
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