Testing and Validation Methodology for a Radiation Monitoring System for Electronics in Particle Accelerators

Abstract

In this work, a methodology for the design and validation of a radiation monitoring system for electronic systems in particle accelerators is presented. The methodology expands the common Radiation Hardness Assurance (RHA) procedure implemented at CERN, including new steps dedicated to both system-level testing, focused on a wireless device, and sensors characterization and readout validation. A case study demonstrating the validity of this methodology is proposed with the qualification of a novel battery-powered wireless radiation monitoring system. This system not only represents the validation vehicle of the methodology but also an innovation in terms of monitoring platform due to its flexibility and improved capabilities. The application of this methodology allowed its full qualification, providing useful data in terms of resistance to radiation, lifetime, and failure rate in operation, demonstrating the validity of the testing strategy proposed in the paper.

An Analysis of the Significance of the 14N(n, p) 14C Reaction for Single-Event Upsets Induced by Thermal Neutrons in SRAMs

“…In spite of the lower and lower reliance on natural boron in the manufacturing process of commercial devices, test standards for ground and atmospheric applications [41,42] give high consideration to the thermal neutron hardness assurance. Thermal neutron sensitivity has also been an increasingly concerning issue for the hardness assurance of the electronics to be used in the high-energy accelerators [43,44] involving both SRAM-and flash-based FPGAs and has brought to design specific guidelines for the design of systems that can be sensitive to them [45]. Similarly, for medical accelerators [46], thermal neutrons are considered the most significant threat to the reliability of the nearby electronics used to monitor the patient treatment.…”

Using Software Mitigation Schemes to improve the availability of IoT applications in harsh radiation environment

“…calibrated SRAMs sensitive for Thermal Neutron (ThN) and High Energy Hadrons (HEH) fluences [2]. Due to the high number of required GPIOs, SPI-controllable GPIO expanders are used by the MCU.…”

“…The system uses all Commercial of the Shelf (COTS) low-power and qualified components [2]. A Finite State Machine of three states is used to control the system (figure 1(b)).…”

“…During all phases, the MCU feeds the Ext WTD via an external interrupt. By changing the App sleep duration, it is possible to increase the system lifetime [2].…”

“…Nevertheless, this concept also poses new challenges when applied in a radiation environment. In [2], the challenges of qualifying low-power components were shown, while in [3], the protocol that best suits the LHC environment was discussed. Another challenge that has not been yet discussed is the performance in terms of availability, defined as the operating time of the machine compared to the overall operating time [4], that an IoT device can guarantee in the accelerator environment.…”