RADIATION HARDENING 
 
 
 
NAME-Saijal Rekhani 
ROLL NO-18D110008 
BRANCH-Metallurgy 
INTRODUCTION

Radiation hardening​ is process of making ​electronic

components​ and circuits resistant to damage or
malfunction caused by high levels of ​ionizing
radiation​(​particle radiation​ and high-energy
electromagnetic radiation​), especially for environments in
outer space​ and high-altitude flight, around ​nuclear reactor
s​and ​particle accelerators​, or during ​nuclear accidents​ or
nuclear warfare​.

DAMAGES CAUSED DUE TO RADIATION

The effects of radiation can be permanently damaging 

to a device. Failure of these circuits can result in the 
loss of multi-million dollar products and human life. To 
diminish radiation effects, “Radhard” devices have been 
fabricated and used in several industries. 
Radiations make electronic noises and signal spikes 
thereby making the electronic circuits inaccurate . They 
cause lattice displacement which particularly affects 
semiconductor junctions and bipolar transistors. They 
also cause effects like ionisation effect which can 
sometimes cause device failure. 
Two fundamental damage mechanisms that take place:
Lattice displacement is caused by neutrons, protons, and
very high energy gamma photons. They change the
arrangement of the atoms in the crystal lattice, creating
lasting damage depleting the minority carriers and
worsening the analog properties of the affected
semiconductor junctions. This type of problem is
particularly significant in bipolar transistors, which are
dependent on minority carriers in their base regions;
increased losses caused by recombination cause loss of
the transistor gain.
Ionization effects are caused by charged particles,
including the ones with energy too low to cause lattice
effects. The ionization effects are usually transient, but
can lead to destruction of the device if they trigger other
damage mechanisms. Photocurrent caused by ultraviolet
and x-ray radiation may belong to this category as well.
Gradual accumulation of holes in the oxide layer in
MOSFET transistors leads to worsening of their
performance, up to device failure when the dose is high
enough.The effects can vary wildly depending on different
parameters.
 RADIATION HARDENING TECHNIQUES 
  
There are primarily two types of radiation hardening techniques : 
 

PHYSICAL TECHNIQUE LOGICAL TECHNIQUE

Deals with the manufacturing of semiconductor  Involves programming and digital logic to 
devices and choice of materials/device  correct malfunctions in the hardware. 
characteristics 

Ex.s​: manufacturing on insulating substrates  Ex.s: ​Use 3 separate microprocessor boards 

  to independently compute tasks and 
Bipolar transistors have higher radiation tolerance  compare their answers, if calculations vary, 
than MOS.  shut down incorrect board or have watchdog 
  timer force a hard reset to the system.  
 

In general, the process may be described by the following

steps:

– 1) define the radiation hazard,

– 2) evaluate the hazard,
– 3) define the requirements to be met by the electronics
– 4) evaluate the electronics to be used,
– 5) engineer processes to mitigate hazard damage, and
– 6) iterate on the methodology, if and when necessary.
APPLICATIONS

1-Satellite Command Data and Handling (CD&H) 

electronics ​ Needs 
more radiation hardening since they keep satellite in orbit. One product 
used is the UT90nHBD ASIC chip.   

2-BAE Systems RAD6000     

RAD6000 is mainly known as the onboard computer of NASA 
equipment. As of June 2008, there are 200 RAD6000 processors in 
space on numerous NASA, DoD, and commercial spacecraft 

3-BAE Systems RAD750    

In 2010 BAE reported that there were over 150 RAD750s used in a 
variety of spacecraft and satellites. 

1 3 

2  

   
SOME MORE EXAMPLES 

The ​ERC32​ and L

​ EON​ are radiation hardened processors designed by 
Gaisler Research and the ​European Space Agency​. 

The ​Boeing Company​, through its Satellite Development Center, 

produces a radiation hardened space computer variant based on the 
PowerPC 750. 
GaN FETS are a very good fit for satellite applications.It is designed from 
the ground up with space applications in mind to provide steady and 
reliable performance when exposed to ionizing dose or heavy ions. A 
plus point, when it comes to ionizing radiation in contrast to silicon 
FETs, GaN FETS do not have a gate oxide layer. That means radiation 
cannot form traps in the gate oxide .GaN is a wideband gap material 
and compared to silicon.The size and weight reduction of using GaN 
over silicon further helps. 

GaN FET  

 
Radiation-hardened components are based on their non-hardened
equivalents, with some design and manufacturing variations that
reduce the susceptibility to radiation damage. Due to the extensive
development and testing required to produce a radiation-tolerant
design of a microelectronic chip, radiation-hardened chips tend to lag
behind the most recent developments.
REFERENCES

1-WIKIPEDIA
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Radiation_hardening#Examples_of_rad-h
ard_computers

2-RENESAS
https://www.renesas.com/jp/en/support/videos/radiation-hardened-gan
-products-and-technology.html

3-D.UMU.EDU
https://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=&esrc=s&source=web&cd=
13&cad=rja&uact=8&ved=2ahUKEwiRgoWH9tDkAhW0muYKHalDC8
QQFjAMegQIARAC&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.d.umn.edu%2F~sbur
ns%2FEE4611Spring2016%2FSeminarPresentations%2FRadHardDe
vicesRev1ChrisBankers.pptx&usg=AOvVaw2AbV5s9cafvAsHB_uyzU
SE

​ THANK YOU