Space Radiation Effects in Electronics

This chapter introduces the topic of the effects of harsh radiation environments, first on electronic devices in general, and next on memory components, the case study of the book. Ionizing radiation is ubiquitous in space, in the form of charged particles, coming mainly from the Sun, supernovae explosions and other galaxies, and which can be trapped and concentrated by planetary magnetic fields. When striking electronic components, these energetic particles cause both cumulative and single-event (spontaneous) effects. The former induce a degradation in performance, such as increased leakage currents, which can eventually lead to the complete loss of device functionality. The latter are generally non-desructive, and in memory components, may induce bit flips. Electronic devices, used in harsh radiaton environments are almost systematically characterized with accelerated tests in irradiation facilities, which use radiation beams to reproduce the target environment. For space applications, single-event characterization is typically done using particle accelerators which provide heavy ions and/or protons.