This program, part of DARPA’s Advanced Sources for Single Event Effect Radiation Testing (ASSERT) initiative, is intended to enhance the resilience of electronics deployed in space environments where exposure to cosmic radiation poses significant risks to performance and longevity.
These harsh conditions present a critical challenge for electronic systems used in satellites, spacecraft, and other space-based technologies. Single Event Effects (SEE) caused by high-energy cosmic radiation can disrupt or damage these systems, leading to catastrophic mission failures.
Through DARPA's ASSERT program, TAU Systems will contribute its expertise in producing the high-energy particle beams necessary for testing and evaluating radiation-hardened components, ensuring that the next generation of space electronics can withstand these extreme conditions.
According to DARPA, its goal is to develop additional reliable sources for SEE radiation testing that can emulate the cosmic radiation encountered in space. TAU Systems will support by developing a new, compact, cost-effective system that can simulate real-space conditions, allowing manufacturers and defence agencies to validate and harden their electronic systems against radiation-induced anomalies.
TAU Systems' involvement in the ASSERT program represents a crucial step toward enhancing the overall robustness of space-bound electronics. The company will collaborate with NASA’s Jet Propulsion Laboratory, the Aerospace Corporation, UCLA, and RadiaBeam to develop and apply advanced radiation-hardened SEE testing methodologies. This effort will focus on developing and validating the eSEE (electron-based Single Event Effect) Testing concept.
Commenting Bjorn Manuel Hegelich, CEO and Founder of TAU Systems, "As chips become more powerful and transistors become smaller, they also become more susceptible to cosmic radiation. To be able to use advanced computing and automation methods like machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) in space, rigorous testing using advanced particle accelerators is essential to enabling new technology, protecting critical assets and ensuring mission success."
Currently, the US has only four facilities capable of performing premium SEE radiation testing, summing to a total of about 5,000 hours of beam time per year – far below the estimated 30,000 hours demanded by academia and industry. TAU Systems’ compact design will help to generate between 2,000 and 4,000 hours of beam time annually per unit, greatly expanding access to critical testing.
SEE are disruptions in electronic components caused by high-energy particles, such as protons and heavy ions, which are prevalent in space. These particles can generate currents or voltage spikes that lead to temporary malfunctions or permanent damage and can interrupt communication, navigation, and data collection.
Traditional radiation-hardened electronics undergo SEE testing using high-energy beams from large conventional ion accelerators to simulate the effects of space radiation. However, there is growing recognition that new, more advanced testing platforms are necessary to perform the requisite testing on advanced electronic systems.
TAU Systems is a pioneer in compact particle acceleration technologies, and it aims to provide critical SEE testing services to space electronics manufacturers, contractors, and other organisations focused on creating robust, radiation-tolerant systems.
"Understanding the effects of radiation in space is one of the most important steps in the design and development of resilient spacecraft," said Stephen Milton, Vice-President, Accelerator Science at TAU Systems. “DARPA’s ASSERT program leverages two key new technologies to emulate the effect of heavy ions on electronics, pulsed electron beams for single-event effects testing and TAU’s Laser Wakefield Accelerator (LWFA) system that can precisely deliver a high-energy pulsed electron bunch to the device under test. Our system is significantly smaller and more cost-effective than conventional heavy ion test facilities; as such it can dramatically enhance the efficiency and accessibility of SEE testing.”
Particle accelerators hold great potential for a variety of applications but can be expensive to install and are only available to a handful of national labs and universities.
TAU Systems have built and rigorously tested a compact LWFA, which has a wide variety of applications, and the full system could be contained in a volume the size of a shipping container. In addition to testing how well space-bound electronics can withstand radiation, the accelerator technology will also be used to image the 3D internal structures of new semiconductor chip designs, and even to develop novel cancer therapies and advanced medical imaging techniques.
This compact particle accelerator could also be used to drive another device called an X-ray free electron laser, which could be used as a light source for beyond EUV lithography for even more advanced chip production as well as being capable of recording the dynamics of processes on the atomic or molecular scale.
