Summary
The Alternative Sources for Single-event Effects Radiation Testing (ASSERT) program is creating new laboratory-scale sources that will change the way we design radiation-hardened microelectronics.
Critical defense electronic systems must operate in extreme environments such as space, where components are subject to potentially destructive levels of radiation.
ASSERT will provide compact, readily-accessible alternatives to current heavy-ion test facilities with the goal of reducing the time to design, test, and deploy radiation-qualified components by a factor of ten. These alternative sources will enable radiation testing and characterization to be incorporated early in the integrated circuit (IC) development process to provide insights into fault mechanisms and inform rapid design optimization.
In addition, ASSERT sources will empower the radiation effects community to develop new standards and practices for emergent technologies such as 3D heterogeneously integrated (3DHI) devices and to provide data to validate new theories and computational models.