Selecting radiation-resistant semiconductors for robots and teleoperated systems

Conference · Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 1992 · Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (United States)

OSTI ID:6671051

Sias, F R ^[1]; Fox, R M ^[2]

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1. Clemson Univ., SC (United States)
2. Univ. of Florida, Gainesville (United States)

Microprocessor-controlled robots and teleoperated systems will be called upon to function in radiation environments that vary from very low dose rates of ionizing radiation such as around stored low-level waste to very high levels of radiation such as near a nuclear reactor containment. The fact that nuclear radiation can shut down electronic systems became very obvious in 1962 when the Telstar I satellite failed as a result of radiation in the Van Allen Belts. Since then, the development of devices resistant to radiation, called radiation hardened, has been driven by satellite, space, or weapons requirements. Commercial complementary metal-oxide semiconductor (CMOS) devices have some inherent resistance to radiation, and some of the newer manufacturing technologies are, to some extent, tolerant to total doses of radiation because of thinner silicon dioxide layers used for insulation. Thus, for economic reasons, one is tempted to use less expensive commercial components for robotics applications instead of the specially hardened space or weapons-grade components.

• OSTI ID: 6671051
• Report Number(s): CONF-921102-; CODEN: TANSAO
• Journal Information: Transactions of the American Nuclear Society; (United States), Vol. 66; Conference: Joint American Nuclear Society (ANS)/European Nuclear Society (ENS) international meeting on fifty years of controlled nuclear chain reaction: past, present, and future, Chicago, IL (United States), 15-20 Nov 1992; ISSN 0003-018X
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

22 GENERAL STUDIES OF NUCLEAR REACTORS
99 GENERAL AND MISCELLANEOUS//MATHEMATICS, COMPUTING, AND INFORMATION SCIENCE
REACTORS
REMOTE VIEWING EQUIPMENT
RADIATION EFFECTS
MICROPROCESSORS
RADIATION HARDENING
REMOTE HANDLING EQUIPMENT
ROBOTS
SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES
SILICON
COMPUTERS
ELECTRONIC CIRCUITS
ELEMENTS
EQUIPMENT
HARDENING
MATERIALS HANDLING EQUIPMENT
MICROELECTRONIC CIRCUITS
PHYSICAL RADIATION EFFECTS
SEMIMETALS
220200* - Nuclear Reactor Technology- Components & Accessories
990200 - Mathematics & Computers