Chip Irradiation

Yes

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ISIS offers a facility for rapid testing of high energy neutron effects. ChipIR looks at how silicon microchips respond to cosmic neutron radiation.

Cosmic rays hitting the earth’s atmosphere generate showers of particles including high energy neutrons that rain down on earth. Cosmic ray neutron radiation can disrupt the normal operation of avionic and ground based electronic systems, with problems ranging from altering the device’s memory to permanently damaging the electronics.


The design incorporates many features to help users of the facility perform test measurements accurately and efficiently. Accelerated atmospheric neutron testing designed to mimic the disruptions and failure of electronics caused by ‘single event effects’. ​One hour exposure in the beam equivalent to hundreds to thousands of years in the real environment.

Atmospheric spectrum of neutrons up to an energy of 800MeV with a variable collimated beam and large area beam.​


No
No

Instruments

Alternative techniques