Understanding radiation effects in SRAM-based fi eld programmable gate arrays for implementing instrumentation and control systems of nuclear power plants

T.S. Nidhin,Anindya Bhattacharyya,R.P. Behera,T. Jayanthi,K. Velusamy 한국원자력학회 2017 Nuclear Engineering and Technology Vol.49 No.8

Field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) are getting more attention in safety-related and safety-criticalapplication development of nuclear power plant instrumentation and control systems. The high logicdensity and advancements in architectural features make static random access memory (SRAM)-basedFPGAs suitable for complex design implementations. Devices deployed in the nuclear environmentface radiation particle strike that causes transient and permanent failures. The major reasons for failuresare total ionization dose effects, displacement damage dose effects, and single event effects. Differentfrom the case of space applications, soft errors are the major concern in terrestrial applications. In thisarticle, a review of radiation effects on FPGAs is presented, especially soft errors in SRAM-based FPGAs. Single event upset (SEU) shows a high probability of error in the dependable application development inFPGAs. This survey covers the main sources of radiation and its effects on FPGAs, with emphasis on SEUsas well as on the measurement of radiation upset sensitivity and irradiation experimental results atvarious facilities. This article also presents a comparison between the major SEU mitigation techniques inthe configuration memory and user logics of SRAM-based FPGAs.

DC/DC 강압컨버터의 PWM-IC 제어기의 TID 및 SEL 실험

노영환(Young Hwan Lho),황의성(Eui Sung Hwang),정재성(Jae-Seong Jeong),한창운(Changwoon Han) 한국항공우주학회 2013 韓國航空宇宙學會誌 Vol.41 No.1

DC/DC 컨버터는 임의의 직류전원을 부하가 요구하는 형태의 직류전원으로 변환시키는 효율이 높은 전력변환기이다. DC/DC 컨버터는 PWM-IC(펄스폭 변조 집적회로) 제어기, MOSFET(산화물-반도체 전계 효과 트랜지스터), 인덕터, 콘덴서 등으로 구성되어있다. 코발트 60 (<SUP>60</SUP>Co) 저준위 감마발생기를 이용한 TID실험에서 방사선의 영향으로 PWM-IC의 전기적 특성중에 문턱전압과 옵셋전압이 증가되고, SEL에 적용된 4종류의 중이온 입자는 PWM-IC의 파형을 불안정하게 만든다. 또한, 입/출력관계의 파형을 SPICE 시뮬레이션 프로그램으로 관찰하였다. PWM-IC의 TID 실험은 30 Krad 까지 수행하였으며, SEL 실험을 제어보드를 구현한 후 LET(MeV/㎎/㎠)별 cross section(㎠)으로 연구하였다. DC/DC switching power converters are commonly used to generate a regulated DC output voltage with high efficiency. The DC/DC converter is composed of a PWM-IC (pulse width modulation-integrated circuit) controller, a MOSFET (metal-oxide semiconductor field effect transistor), inductor, capacitor, etc. It is shown that the variation of threshold voltage and the offset voltage in the electrical characteristics of PWM-IC increase by radiation effects in TID (Total Ionizing Dose) testing at the low energy γ rays using <SUP>60</SUP>Co, and 4 heavy ions applied for SEL (Single Event Latch-up) make the PWM pulse unstable. Also, the output waveform for the given input in the DC/DC converter is observed by the simulation program with integrated circuit emphasis (SPICE). TID testing on PWM-IC is accomplished up to the total dose of 30 krad, and the cross section(㎠) versus LET(MeV/㎎/㎠) in the PWM operation is studied at SEL testing after implementation of the controller board.

반도체 회로에서의 내방사선 설계 방법 연구 동향

김태영,이종호,송익현 대한전자공학회 2022 전자공학회논문지 Vol.59 No.9

To secure reliability of circuits from radiation-induced degradation or malfunction such as Single-Event Effects (SEE) and Total Ionizing Dose (TID) has become more and more important. In this paper, several recent solutions are reviewed among various techniques for mitigating radiation effects. Main contents include 1) the SEE mitigation utilizing the properties of the inverse mode, 2) the SEE-mitigation circuit based on Electrostatic Discharge (ESD) protection circuit, 3) the Radiation-Hardened-By-Design (RHBD) Flip-Flops (FFs) to prevent SEE, 4) the Analog Single-Event Transients (ASET) detection in a DC-DC converter, and 5) P-edge NMOS for TID mitigation. Operation principles of each techniques are explained and discussed in terms of improvements in radiation hardening.

RADIOLOGICAL DOSE ASSESSMENT ACCORDING TO METHODOLOGIES FOR THE EVALUATION OF ACCIDENTAL SOURCE TERMS

정해선,정효준,김은한,한문희,황원태 대한방사선방어학회 2014 방사선방어학회지 Vol.39 No.4

The object of this paper is to evaluate the fission product inventories and radiological doses in a non-LOCA event, based on the U.S. NRC’s regulatory methodologies recommended by the TID-14844 and the RG 1.195. For choosing a non-LOCA event, one fuel assembly was assumed to be melted by a channel blockage accident. The Hanul nuclear power reactor unit 6 and the CE 16×16 fuel assembly were selected as the computational models. The burnup cross section library for depletion calculations was produced using the TRITON module in the SCALE6.1 computer code system. Based on the recently licensed values for fuel enrichment and burnup, the source term calculation was performed using the ORIGEN-ARP module. The fission product inventories released into the environment were obtained with the assumptions of the TID-14844 and the RG 1.195. With two kinds of source terms, the radiological doses of public in normal environment reflecting realistic circumstances were evaluated by applying the average condition of meteorology, inhalation rate, and shielding factor. The statistical analysis was first carried out using consecutive three year-meteorological data measured at the Hanul site. The annual-averaged atmospheric dispersion factors were evaluated at the shortest representative distance of 1,000 m, where the residents are actually able to live from the reactor core, according to the methodology recommended by the RG 1.111. The Korean characteristic-inhalation rate and shielding factor of a building were considered for a series of dose calculations.

RADIOLOGICAL DOSE ASSESSMENT ACCORDING TO METHODOLOGIES FOR THE EVALUATION OF ACCIDENTAL SOURCE TERMS

Jeong, Hae Sun,Jeong, Hyo Joon,Kim, Eun Han,Han, Moon Hee,Hwang, Won Tae The Korean Association for Radiation Protection 2014 방사선방어학회지 Vol.39 No.4

The object of this paper is to evaluate the fission product inventories and radiological doses in a non-LOCA event, based on the U.S. NRC's regulatory methodologies recommended by the TID-14844 and the RG 1.195. For choosing a non-LOCA event, one fuel assembly was assumed to be melted by a channel blockage accident. The Hanul nuclear power reactor unit 6 and the CE $16{\times}16$ fuel assembly were selected as the computational models. The burnup cross section library for depletion calculations was produced using the TRITON module in the SCALE6.1 computer code system. Based on the recently licensed values for fuel enrichment and burnup, the source term calculation was performed using the ORIGEN-ARP module. The fission product inventories released into the environment were obtained with the assumptions of the TID-14844 and the RG 1.195. With two kinds of source terms, the radiological doses of public in normal environment reflecting realistic circumstances were evaluated by applying the average condition of meteorology, inhalation rate, and shielding factor. The statistical analysis was first carried out using consecutive three year-meteorological data measured at the Hanul site. The annual-averaged atmospheric dispersion factors were evaluated at the shortest representative distance of 1,000 m, where the residents are actually able to live from the reactor core, according to the methodology recommended by the RG 1.111. The Korean characteristic-inhalation rate and shielding factor of a building were considered for a series of dose calculations.

Influence and analysis of a commercial ZigBee module induced by gamma rays

Shin, Dongseong,Kim, Chang-Hwoi,Park, Pangun,Kwon, Inyong Korean Nuclear Society 2021 Nuclear Engineering and Technology Vol.53 No.5

Many studies are undertaken into nuclear power plants (NPPs) in preparation for accidents exceeding design standards. In this paper, we analyze the applicability of various wireless communication technologies as accident countermeasures in different NPP environments. In particular, a commercial wireless communication module (WCM) is investigated by measuring leakage current and packet error rate (PER), which vary depending on the intensity of incident radiation on the module, by testing at a Co-60 gamma-ray irradiation facility. The experimental results show that the WCMs continued to operate after total doses of 940 and 1097 Gy, with PERs of 3.6% and 0.8%, when exposed to irradiation dose rates of 185 and 486 Gy/h, respectively. In short, the lower irradiation dose rate decreased the performance of WCMs more than the higher dose rate. In experiments comparing the two communication protocols of request/response and one-way, the WCMs survived up to 997 and 1177 Gy, with PERs of 2% and 0%, respectively. Since the request/response protocol uses both the transmitter and the receiver, while the one-way protocol uses only the transmitter, then the electronic system on the side of the receiver is more vulnerable to radiation effects. From our experiments, the tested module is expected to be used for design-based accidents (DBAs) of "Category A" type, and has confirmed the possibility of using wireless communication systems in NPPs.

Total Ionization Dose (TID) Effects on 2D MOS Devices

Shashi Bala,Raj Kumar,Arvind Kumar 한국전기전자재료학회 2021 Transactions on Electrical and Electronic Material Vol.22 No.1

Electronics and Electricals devices are used in radiations environments for space applications. Radiation has immense potential to disturb the basic properties of electronics devices by interfere with the devices. Radiations aff ect most MOSFET among the various electronics devices, by creating radiation induced total ionizing dose (TID) effects, single event eff ects and heavy ion displacement damages, will be discussed. TID effects are persuaded due to ionization energy established in oxides and insulators existing in the devices, by electrons, charged hadrons, neutrons and gammas, prominent to device degradation and letdown. This paper reviews, the basic mechanism of TID in SiO2 and other alternate oxides in device and how, this affects threshold voltage, Sub threshold swing and leakage current in MOSFETs. Radiations response to the silicon-on-insulator technology will also be discussed.

Simulation-based analysis of total ionizing dose effects on low noise amplifier for wireless communications

Gandha Satria Adi,Dong-Seok Kim,Inyong Kwon Korean Nuclear Society 2024 Nuclear Engineering and Technology Vol.56 No.2

The development of radiation-tolerant radio-frequency (RF) systems can be a solution for applications in extreme radiation environments, such as nuclear power plant monitoring and space exploration. Among the crucial components within an RF system, the low noise amplifier (LNA) stands out due to its vulnerability to TID effects, mainly relying on transistors as its main devices. In this study, the TID effects in the LNA using standard 0.18 ㎛ complementary metal oxide semiconductors (CMOS) technology are estimated and analyzed. The results show that the LNA can withstand absorbed radiation up to 100 kGy. The S₂₁, S₁₁, noise figure (NF), stability (K), and linearity of the third input intercept point (IIP3) slightly shifted from the initial values of 0.8312 dB, 0.793 dB, 0.00381 dB, 1.34406, and 2.36066 dBm, respectively which are still comparable to the typical performances. Moreover, the standard 0.18 ㎛ technology has demonstrated its radiation tolerance, as it exhibits negligible performance degradation in the conventional LNA even when exposed to radiation levels up to 100 kGy. In this context, simulation approach offers a means to predict the TID effects and estimate the radiation exposure limit for electronic devices, particularly when transistors are used as the primary RF components.

데이모스 2호의 우주 궤도에서의 총 이온화 방사선량 해석

김영석,김주나,정연황 한국항공우주학회 2014 한국항공우주학회 학술발표회 논문집 Vol.2014 No.11

지구관측 저궤도 소형위성인 Space Eye-1 플랫폼을 기반으로 한 데이모스-2 호 위성이 겪게 될 우주방사선 환경을 TID 관점에서 분석하였다. 우주에는 다양한 방사선 입자들이 존재하며, 특히 방사선 벨트에 포획된 입자들이 저궤도 위성에 많은 영향을 미친다. 이러한 포획된 전자 및 양성자, 태양양성자의 영향을 분석하기 위해 NASA 의 AP8, AE8 및 ESP-PSYCHIC 모델을 사용하여 개별 입자의 선속 분포를 모사하였다. 또한 총 이온화 방사선량(TID) 환경이 전자 소자에 미치는 영향을 추정하기 위해 Dose-Depth 곡선을 구하였고, 분할 차폐물 해석을 통하여 위성의 구조물과 전장박스의 차폐효과를 고려한 주요 PCB 의 총 이온화 방사선량 영향을 분석하였다. 이를 기반으로 데이모스-2 호가 TID 환경하에서 설계 수명을 견딜 수 있는지 분석하였다. Deimos-2 is a small earth observation satellite based on the Space Eye-1 platform of Satrec Initiative. The Space radiation environment in the view point of total ionizing dose(TID) is simulated by NASA AP-8, AE-8 and ESPPSYCHIC model for trapped electron, trapped proton and solar particle fluences respectively. Dose-depth curve in accordance with the shielding thickness is calculated to estimate the TID effect on the satellite EEE components. Using the dose depth curve and satellite shielding thickness data from the detailed satellite 3-D model, the TID level of interesting points are calculated and compared with their component rated TID level, to check that the Deimos-2 satellite can withstand the design lifetime in the space TID environment.

DC/DC 강압컨버터의 PWM-IC 제어기의 방사선영향

노영환,황의성 제어로봇시스템학회 2012 제어로봇시스템학회 각 지부별 자료집 Vol.2012 No.12

DC/DC switching power converters are commonly used to generate a regulated DC output voltage with high efficiency. The DC/DC converter is composed of PWM-IC (pulse width modulation-integrated circuit) controller, a MOSFET (metal-oxide semiconductor feild effect transistor), inductor, capacitor, etc. It is shown that the variation of threshold voltage and the offset voltage in the electrical characteristics of PWM-IC increase by radiation effects in TID (Total Ionizing Dose) testing at the low energy γ rays using <SUP>60</SUP>Co, and 4 heavy ions applied for SEL (Single Event Latch-up) make the PWM pulse unstable. TID testing on PWM-IC is accomplished up to the total dose of 30 krad, and the cross section and the cross section(㎠) versus LET(MeV/㎎/㎠) in the PWM operation is studied at SEL testing after implementation of the controller board.