The effect of space Radiation onto on-board electronic and systems

摘要

Modern electronic components are very sensitive to radiative space environment. The presence of high-energy and ionising particles (protons, heavy ions and electrons) induces many observable effects. These effects range from degradation of performance to functional disruptions that can affect any system operation. Satellites may then experience shortened lifetime or major failures. The space radiation constitutes an inhomogeneous and dynamic environment strongly influenced by the solar activity characterised by a wide range of energies, species and omni-directional flux. The radiation hazard is not equivalent on low earth (LEO) or geo-synchronous orbits (GEO). A Single Event Effect (SEE) is a probabilistic failure induced by a single high-energy ionising particle strike. It can occur at any time and any place within any system and may lead to severe failures. It encompasses a wide range of effects in many different devices and technologies. The ever increasing use of commercial or non hardened devices in space projects necessitates rigorous testing and hardness assurance methodologies to better assess the risk for a mission. As the complexity of modern devices grows, their responses to radiation appear to diversify and new failure modes are routinely observed that models fail to correctly address.