A facility for the study of the single event effects in the Tandar accelerator

Abstract

Solar cells and other semiconductor devices used in space applications suffer permanent degradation due to the space radiation environment, which affects both electric and electronic parameters, reducing eventually the in-orbit lifetime. The most important effects of radiation on electronic components are: TID (Total Ionising Dose) caused by electrons and protons present in the radiation belts, SEE (Single Event Effects) due to cosmic rays and heavy ions from solar flares, and DD (Displacement Damage) which is a cummulative effect on TID induced by protons from solar flares. To test and characterize the response of electronic devices to radiation exposure we used a beam line of our tandem Van de Graaff heavy ion accelerator (TANDAR). A test chamber able to simulate the space radiation environment was installed in a beam line, allowing variable-energy proton irradiations. Emulation of the space proton spectrum was used to assess TiD effects and to estimate the comparative behavior of devices under test in a space-like ionising environment. To evaluate SEE effects we designed and built a system of tantalum filters allowing in-beam determination of the response of devices subjected to consecutive exposures under controlled conditions.