J. Mekki

Investigation and Analysis of LM124 Bipolar Linear Circuitry Response Phenomenon in Pulsed X-Ray Environment

Analog Transient Radiation Effects in Electronics (ATREE) induced by high dose-rate X-ray pulses are investigated using a flash X-ray facility. The ATREEs induced in a LM124 operational amplifier configured in three different bias configurations are investigated. A predictive methodology, based upon a previously developed ASET simulation tool, is used to model the ATREE phenomena. A semiempirical physical model is used to perform the correlation between the duration of the parasitic pulse signal induced in the LM124 and an equivalent value of the high dose-rate X-ray pulse level.

CHARM: A Mixed Field Facility at CERN for Radiation Tests in Ground, Atmospheric, Space and Accelerator Representative Environments

Depending on the application, electronic systems and devices can be subjected to different radiation environments. According to the type of radiation encountered during operation, electronic components are simultaneously vulnerable to cumulative and single event effects. In addition, inelastic interactions of highly energetic particles with high-Z materials generate highly ionizing products. This can lead to catastrophic failures and therefore can have a significant impact on the reliability of electronic devices. For this reason, it is necessary to test electronic devices/systems in representative environments. For this purpose, a mixed field radiation test facility called CHARM has been established at CERN. Its radiation environment is not only representative of particle accelerators, but also of atmospheric, ground level and space applications.

A New RadMon Version for the LHC and its Injection Lines

A system to monitor the radiation levels is required in the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) and its injection lines in order to quantify the radiation effects on electronics. Thus, the RadMons were installed in critical areas where equipment is or will be placed. The first years of operation, successive test campaigns and new requirements, raised the need for a new design of the monitor. The architecture of the new RadMon, the radiation reliability and the design strategy adopted for the sensors, used for monitoring the mixed radiation field of the LHC accelerator, are described highlighting the achieved improvements in terms of radiation robustness and measurement accuracy of a device which is of interest for many other research institutes.

The LHC Radiation Monitoring System - RadMon

Julien Mekki, Sergio Batuca, Markus Brugger, Marco Calviani, Alfredo Ferrari, Daniel Kramer, Roberto Losito, Alessandro Masi, Anna Nyul, Paul Peronnard, Christian Pignard, Ketil Roeed, Thijs Wijnands CERN CERN CH-1211, Geneve 23, Switzerland E-mail:; Julien.Mekki@cern.ch; Sergio.batuca@cern.ch; Markus.Brugger@cern.ch; Marco.Calviani@cern.ch, Alfredo.Ferrari@cern.ch; Daniel.kramer@cern.ch; Roberto.Losito@cern.ch; Alessandro.Masi@cern.ch; Ana.Nyul@cern.ch; Paul.Peronnard@cern.ch; Christian.Pignard@cern.ch; Ketil.Roeed@cern.ch; Thijs.Wijnands@cern.ch

Prediction of the Response of the Commercial BPW34FS Silicon p-i-n Diode Used as Radiation Monitoring Sensors up to Very High Fluences

The effect of radiation damage on Silicon p-i-n diodes has been studied. I-V characteristics of BPW34FS silicon p-i-n diodes irradiated with 24 GeV/c protons up to 6.3 × 1015 neq/cm2 have been measured and analyzed. A parameterization predicting the radiation response in the fluence range relevant for the use of the diodes as radiation monitors in Super-LHC experiments is presented.

Mixed Particle Field Influence on RadFET Responses Using Co-60 Calibration

RadFET sensors are used for Total Ionizing Dose (TID) monitoring inside CERN accelerators. While RadFET sensors are typically well characterized with a Co-60 gamma source, their radiation response can be affected when they are used in high-energy mixed particle fields. This paper presents experimental results and corresponding discussions on the effect of CERN accelerator-like environments on the dose measured by 100 nm, 400 nm and 1000 nm thick oxide RadFETs. Simulations of the radiation environment at the CERN test areas have also been performed to investigate the contribution of each particle type to the deposited dose and are used as a tool to understand the observed effects.

Impact of Switched Dose-Rate Irradiation on the Response of the LM124 Operational Amplifier to Pulsed X-Rays

The Synergistic effect between TID and ATREEs (Analog Transient Radiation Effects on Electronics) in an operational amplifier (opamp) (LM124) is investigated for three different bias configurations. An accelerated irradiation technique is used to study these synergistic effects. The impact of TID on ATREEs is found to be identical regardless of whether the irradiation is performed at low dose rate or whether the dose rate is switched from high to low using the Dose Rate Switching (DRS) technique. The correlation between the deviations of the opamps electrical parameters and the changes of ATREE widths is clearly established.

First In-Flight Data Analysis of Displacement Damage on the OSL Sensor On-Board CARMEN-2

Displacement damage dose was measured over 26 months on the CARMEN-2 experiment using the feedback loop of an Optically Stimulated Luminescence (OSL) sensor. These in-flight results are analyzed and discussed addressing the issue of temperature dependence and energy correction. A comparison between in-flight data and ground tests measurement validates this method.

Packaging Effects on RadFET Sensors for High Energy Physics Experiments

RadFETs in customized chip carrier packages are installed in the LHC Experiments as radiation monitors. The package influence on the dose measurement in the complex LHC radiation environment is evaluated using Geant4 simulations and experimental data.

SEL Hardness Assurance in a Mixed Radiation Field

This paper explores the relationship between monoenergetic and mixed-field Single Event Latchup (SEL) cross sections, concluding that for components with a very strong energy dependence and highly-energetic environments, test results from monoenergetic or soft mixed-field spectra can significantly underestimate the operational failure rate. We introduce a semi-empirical approach that can be used to evaluate the SEL rate for such environments based on monoenergetic measurements and information or assumptions on the respective sensitive volume and materials surrounding it. We show that the presence of high-Z materials such as tungsten is particularly important in determining the hadron cross section energy dependence for components with relatively large LET thresholds.