Speaker
Description
The presentation will cover ESA’s needs for radiation testing of electronics,
materials, and other technologies for space applications, in support of
qualification, technology development, radiation hardness assurance and
failure investigations.
It will explain how the GSI UNILAC facility, and in particular the X0 heavy-
ion microprobe, can complement conventional radiation testing by enabling
localized investigations of radiation effects in electronic devices. The focus
will be on the use of these techniques to understand failure mechanisms, and
identify sensitive areas within circuits, rather than for qualification testing.
Examples from previous ESA-related studies on power MOS devices, Si and SiC
technologies, MIM/MIS capacitors and Flash memories will be presented to
illustrate the capabilities of broad-beam and microprobe irradiation.
The presentation will also discuss future applications of these techniques for
emerging technologies (FPGAs, microprocessors, AI accelerators, solid-state
memories, RF components, GaN and SiC devices, and image sensors). Their
complementarity with other radiation-effects investigation methods, such as
pulsed laser and pulsed X-ray techniques, will be highlighted in the context
of mechanism identification, pre-screening activities and technology development.
Optional:
Finally, an overview of the Materials & Electrical Components Laboratory, part
of the ESA/ESTEC TEC Laboratories, will be given, including its activities in
the areas of Materials, Environments and Contamination Control, Materials and
Processes, and Radiation and Component Reliability. The presentation will show
how ESA combines irradiation facilities and analytical techniques to evaluate
the effects of radiation on electronics and materials for space applications,
similarities, and possible synergies with the capabilities available at UNILAC.