Importants for the Manufacturers to Implement Radiation Hardening Techniques

Radiation hardening is a process in which the electronic components and semiconductors are made resistant to malfunctions caused due to electromagnetic radiation and particle radiation. These radiations are classified under ionizing radiation and they generally occur at high altitude, outer space, nuclear reactors and during nuclear warfare and nuclear accidents. Majority of the semiconductors and electronic components are vulnerable to such radiation effects; thus, to reduce the susceptibility, the manufacturing and designing of these semiconductors and electronic components is varied from their non-hardened counterparts. However, owing to the extensive cost involved in testing and developing radiation-tolerant designs of microelectronic chip, the radiation-hardened electronic and semiconductors have a propensity to lag behind in terms of recent developments. Radiation-hardened electronics and semiconductors are tested using several resultant effect tests such as total ionizing dose, neutron and proton displacement damage, single event effects and enhanced low dose rate effects.

The environments at high altitude comprises high level of ionizing radiation, as a result, there are several challenges for the designers and manufactures of the electronics and semiconductor devices that can sustain the radiation effects. The major problem caused due to such radiations is signal spikes and electronic noise. These noise and spikes can be generated by a single charge particle that is capable of knocking thousands of loose electrons. This can in turn result in inaccuracies in implementation/execution of integrated digital circuits used in spacecrafts, satellites, military aircraft and nuclear weapons, and power stations. Owing to the demand for integrated digital circuits for such critical applications, it is important for the manufacturers to implement radiation hardening techniques to ensure that the components produced are resistant to radiations.

The radiation...