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When studying the behavior of a field programmable gate array (FPGA) under radiation, the most commonly used methodology consists in evaluating the single-event effect (SEE) cross section of its elements individually. However, this method does not allow the estimation of the device failure rate when using a custom design. An alternative approach based on benchmark circuits is presented in this article. It allows standardized application-level testing, which makes the comparison between different FPGAs easier. Moreover, it allows the evaluation of the FPGA failure rate independent of the application that will be implemented. The employed benchmark circuit belongs to the ITC’99 benchmark suite developed at Politecnico di Torino. Using the proposed methodology, the response of four FPGAs—the NG-Medium, the ProASIC3, the SmartFusion2, and the PolarFire—was evaluated under high-energy protons. Radiation tests with thermal neutrons were also conducted on the PolarFire to assess its potential sensitivity to them. Moreover, its performances in terms of total ionizing dose (TID) effects have been evaluated by measuring the degradation of the propagation delay during irradiation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, a methodology for the design and validation of a radiation monitoring (RadMON) system for electronic systems in particle accelerators is presented. The methodology expands the common radiation hardness assurance (RHA) procedure implemented at CERN, including new steps dedicated to both system-level testing, focused on a wireless device, and sensors characterization and readout validation. A case study demonstrating the validity of this methodology is proposed with the qualification of a novel battery-powered wireless RadMON system. This system not only represents the validation vehicle of the methodology but also an innovation in terms of monitoring platform due to its flexibility and improved capabilities. The application of this methodology allowed its full qualification, providing useful data in terms of resistance to radiation, lifetime, and failure rate in operation, demonstrating the validity of the testing strategy proposed in the article. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Integrated circuits sensitive to both total ionizing dose (TID) and displacement damage (DD) effects can exhibit degradation profiles resulting from a combination of degradation mechanisms induced by both effects. This work presents circuit simulations based on experimental data to explain degradation mechanisms induced by combined TID and DD effects on a bipolar IC current source. First, the effect of the degradation of each internal transistor on the circuit’s response is evaluated by applying electrical parametric changes. Then simulations are performed from different degradation scenarios based on observed circuit behaviors to reproduce the different TID, DD, and combined TID–DD responses. These simulations show that a synergistic interaction between a current leakage induced by DD on a transistor located in the bandgap reference part with the gain degradation of a current mirror induced by both TID and DD appears to be responsible for the combined TID–DD response. It is also shown that the circuit degradation rate depends on the DDD/TID rate ratios encountered during the exposition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Optoelectronic components are the most sensitive devices of systems exposed to radiation environments. Displacement damage (DD) effects can severely degrade the performances of such devices, which are extensively used in critical electronic systems installed in particle accelerators or nuclear power plants. This work investigates the use of application-specific radiation spectra for damage estimations in operation instead of mono-energetic proton or neutron irradiations. An analysis of the characteristics of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) radiation environment in terms of DD is presented in this work along with the demonstration of the ability of the CERN High Energy Accelerator Mixed Field (CHARM) facility of CERN to reproduce them. Then, a set of optocouplers made of gallium arsenide (GaAs), indium gallium arsenide (InGaAs), and aluminum gallium arsenide (AlGaAs) are tested under these environments, and the results are compared to proton and neutron irradiations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bipolar-based components can exhibit a higher (or lower) degradation when exposed to both total ionizing dose (TID) and displacement damage (DD) effects simultaneously than the sum of the two separated effects. This paper investigates the implications of this synergistic effect on the radiation qualification process of large hadron collider’s (LHC’s) electronic equipment. More specifically, the impact of the wide range of DD/TID rate ratios of the LHC’s areas on the synergistic degradation rates is investigated. An analysis of the ratios of a crucial part of the accelerator is performed. A demonstration of the ability of the CHARM mixed-field facility of CERN to perform radiation tests in representative LHC’s ratios is also presented as well as radiation test results of a bipolar integrated circuit exposed to these different ratios are presented. Finally, the impact of this effect on the CERN radiation hardness assurance process is discussed and a simple method is proposed to qualify component against such effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Functional verification schemes at a level different from component-level testing are emerging as a cost-effective tool for those space systems for which the risk associated with a lower level of assurance can be accepted. Despite the promising potential, system-level radiation testing can be applied to the functional verification of systems under restricted intrinsic boundaries. Most of them are related to the use of hadrons as opposed to heavy ions. Hadrons are preferred for the irradiation of any bulky system, in general, because of their deeper penetration capabilities. General guidelines about the test preparation and procedure for a high-level radiation test are provided to allow understanding which information can be extracted from these kinds of functional verification schemes in order to compare them with the reliability and availability requirements. The use of a general scaling factor for the observed high-level cross sections allows converting test cross sections into orbit rates. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The approach of calibrating neutron environments through well-known Single Event Upset (SEU)-based SRAM memories is applied to a neutron spallation and mixed-field facility. Implications on the Soft Error Rate (SER) induced by intermediate energy neutrons are evaluated comparing operational environments, such as ground level and accelerator shielded areas, with those reproducible by facilities. Moreover, the energy hardness of the spectra is assessed through Single Event Latch-up (SEL) measurements with commercial components and FLUKA Monte Carlo simulations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]