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Testing at the Speed of Light The State of U.S. Electronic Parts Space Radiation Testing Infrastructure (2018) / Chapter Skim
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5 A Path Toward the Future
Pages 51-58

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From page 51...
... Included in these arrangements would be joint planning and scheduling, fixture designs, technical support, and data sharing. Also to be considered are joint technical road mapping among chip suppliers and space users to forecast linkages between future needs and commercial developments.
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From page 52...
... Finding: Overcoming roadblocks to sharing test procedures and data, including those related to confidentiality of proprietary data or restrictions related to classification of sensitive information, will be increasingly critical to avoid duplication of test efforts and to incorporate effectively validated parts in space systems. Recommendation: The Department of Energy, in collaboration with the Department of Defense and NASA, should establish a joint coordination body to define the usage needs for parts radiation testing and assure the adequacy and viability of radiation test facilities out to 2030.
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From page 53...
... • Facilitate advanced purchases to guarantee minimum beam time to both the proton and heavy-ion testing community. This will provide greater financial stability to LBNL and proton test facilities in the near term while ensuring access to electronics testers over the coming years.
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From page 54...
... WORKFORCE AND TRAINING Role of Career Planning and Training Chapter 3 describes a current study of the distribution of numbers of NASA radiation engineers by age as a bimodal distribution, which results from a noticeable shortage of mid-career engineers. This raises a concern about transferring a full skillset of critical knowledge in testing, simulation, modeling, and design from experienced, later-career radiation engineers to early career engineers.
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From page 55...
... A properly constructed early career training agenda would include the following: • Career planning and implementation to increase job interest and retention; • Summer schools tailored to impart mid-career knowledge and skills at an earlier career stage; and • Continual education through attendance at technical conferences, summer schools, university certificate programs, and short courses (the use of the short course materials, available in the public domain, such as the Nuclear and Space Radiation Effects Conference and the Radiation and its Effects on Components and Systems conference, are recommended in Chapter 3)
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From page 56...
... and other interested parties to accelerate career development of the younger testing and modeling scientists and engineers through summer schools, short courses, university certificate programs, and internal mentoring to enable them to more rapidly achieve mid-career proficiency levels. Role of Universities Today's university graduate talent engaged in researching radiation effects to materials would be critical assets for building the radiation hardness technology base for the future.
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From page 57...
... DATABASES AND STANDARDS Validated databases, standards, and protocols are important requirements for an infrastructure for space radiation hardness testing, as follows: • Support a supply base that can produce highly specialized devices in small lot sizes cost-effectively; • Reduce test redundancy in order to improve beam time availability and reduce total testing costs; • Improve quality and reduce risk uncertainties; and • Support fault detection, isolation, and recovery on mission. Currently, there are databases at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, and the European Space Agency that list tested parts.
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From page 58...
... support basic research for the development of new codes.   The mechanism could be an informal coalition within the community or the creation of a multi-university center of excellence or a public–private partnership for private support, cooperative government basic research support through agency research offices, and CRADAs for joint technology development and transfer.
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Key Terms

  • radiation engineers
  • radiation effects
  • radiation testing
  • summer schools
  • joint coordination

  • beam time
  • monte carlo
  • coordination body
  • radiation hardness
  • career radiation

  • total testing
  • testing community
  • space community
  • test facilities
  • test conditions

  • rate estimation
  • microelectronic devices
  • dedicated facility
  • time availability
  • current radiation

  • radiation environments
  • space weather
  • simulating space
  • commercial space
  • hardness testing

  • testing costs
  • sharing test
  • electronics testing
  • international space
  • test fixtures


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