Investigations on the Effects of Neutron Irradiation on the Commercial 8051 Microcontroller

IF 1.9 3区工程技术 Q3 ENGINEERING, ELECTRICAL & ELECTRONIC

IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science Pub Date : 2025-02-07 DOI:10.1109/TNS.2025.3539695

Charu Sharma;Tanmoy Biswas;R. P. Behera;S. Amirthapandian

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Neutron irradiation testing is becoming important for commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) devices of the instrument and control (I&C) system while working in extreme environment applications where the risk of radiation is constant. This study exposes AT89C51RD2 8-bit high-performance flash microcontrollers by varying neutron fluence, assessing their resilience and vulnerabilities through in situ and ex situ experiments. Radiation tests were conducted with thermal and epithermal neutrons. Our results emphasize the importance of shielding, which shows greater resilience of the device in prolonging device lifespan, exhibiting fewer single-event upsets (SEUs) and better reliability in radiation-exposed environments. A single-event functional interrupt (SEFI) was observed during both in situ and ex situ experiments. During in situ experiments (thermal neutron irradiation), the failure was observed when the damage was ~10-8–10-7 dpa, whereas, during ex situ experiments (thermal and epithermal neutron irradiation), the performance of the microcontroller was affected when the damage is ~10-2 dpa. The reason for failure in the device could be due to damage produced by gamma rays (produced by induced activity) and displacement damage [by recoil and primary knock-on atoms (PKAs)]. The presence of 10B in the device, along with interactions with high-energy neutrons, can also lead to functional failures. However, overall findings suggest the potential for the device to develop robust systems in high-radiation environments, as it demonstrates the ability to withstand high neutron flux.

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中子辐照测试对于在辐射风险持续存在的极端环境中工作的仪器和控制系统（I&C）的商用现货（COTS）设备来说越来越重要。本研究利用不同的中子通量暴露 AT89C51RD2 8 位高性能闪存微控制器，通过原位和非原位实验评估其适应性和脆弱性。辐射测试使用热中子和表热中子进行。我们的结果强调了屏蔽的重要性，这表明器件在延长器件寿命方面具有更强的恢复能力，在辐射环境中表现出更少的单次事件中断（SEU）和更高的可靠性。在原位和异位实验中都观察到了单次事件功能中断（SEFI）。在原位实验（热中子辐照）中，当损坏程度约为 10-8-10-7 dpa 时，就会出现故障；而在非原位实验（热中子和表热中子辐照）中，当损坏程度约为 10-2 dpa 时，微控制器的性能就会受到影响。器件失效的原因可能是伽马射线（由诱导活动产生）和位移损伤[由反冲和原初击穿原子（PKAs）]造成的。装置中 10B 的存在以及与高能中子的相互作用也可能导致功能失效。不过，总体研究结果表明，该装置具有在高辐射环境中开发稳健系统的潜力，因为它展示了承受高中子通量的能力。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science 工程技术-工程：电子与电气

CiteScore

3.70

自引率

27.80%

发文量

314

审稿时长

6.2 months

期刊介绍： The IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science is a publication of the IEEE Nuclear and Plasma Sciences Society. It is viewed as the primary source of technical information in many of the areas it covers. As judged by JCR impact factor, TNS consistently ranks in the top five journals in the category of Nuclear Science & Technology. It has one of the higher immediacy indices, indicating that the information it publishes is viewed as timely, and has a relatively long citation half-life, indicating that the published information also is viewed as valuable for a number of years. The IEEE Transactions on Nuclear Science is published bimonthly. Its scope includes all aspects of the theory and application of nuclear science and engineering. It focuses on instrumentation for the detection and measurement of ionizing radiation; particle accelerators and their controls; nuclear medicine and its application; effects of radiation on materials, components, and systems; reactor instrumentation and controls; and measurement of radiation in space.