Radiation Hardening Technology: Way to Save Electronics from Massive Radiation Exposures
Radiation hardening helps the electronic industry to focus on the development of components such as power-management devices, solid-state memory, and microprocessors that are strong enough to survive in space conditions such as radiation. These components are highly durable and can be in space for months to years.
The new generation of surveillance orbiting satellites and high-performing communications are using the most advanced radiation-tolerant and radiation-hardened technology for mission reliability.
So, before moving forward to the radiation-hardened electronics market, let’s explore radiation-hardeneningand its applications in depth.
Radiation Hardening- An Overview
Everyone has a rough idea that excessive radiation exposure can cause serious damage to living things, but only a few know that high levels of radiation can also cause damage to several electronic objects as well.
This high radiation causes damage to the semiconductor of the electronics, which are the backbone of the present modern electronic products.
Even a single charged particle of the radiation can cause damages such as disrupting digital circuits, signal noise, and permanent physical damage.
Electronics are one of the most important things in the current time, which help the world to work effectively and seamlessly. Several sectors and technologies, such as military aircraft, nuclear defense systems, nuclear power stations, satellites, and spacecraft, cannot be operated without the help of electronic systems.
It is mandatory to design the above-mentioned systems and technology with nuclear-hardened, durable, robust electronics to stand against the high radiation in the environment for longer durations without any malfunctioning.
That’s exactly where the role of radiation-hardened electronics becomes critical and useful.
Radiation hardening allows the designing of the components and electronics to have a high tolerance against the massive level of different traditional powers such as X-Ray radiation, radiation levels inside nuclear plants, and outer space radiation.
To make sure that the electronics and components are sufficiently hardened against the traditions, the radiation-hardened electronics manufacturers conduct various rigorous testing in their manufacturing process.
Components that successfully pass the test are sent to the production stage and are called radiation-hardened electronics.
Market Insight of Global Radiation-Hardened Electronics
The radiation-hardened technology is expected to witness a major revolution in the coming years. Extensive development and testing are needed for producing radiation-hardened electronics that can be used in satellite systems for power supply, microprocessors, and for switching regulators.
The massive increases in the space mission activities and development of reconfigurable components with the primary focus on navigation, remote sensing, space exploration, and communication are supposed to be the major factors pushing the growth of the radiation-hardened electronics market.
According to the BIS Research report, the global radiation-hardened electronics market is expected to touch a market value of $1.71 billion by 2023, with a growth rate of 3.34% during the forecast period 2018–2023.
Also, controllers and microprocessors under components segments are supposed to dominate the global radiation-hardened electronics market throughout the forecast period (2018–2023).
The market value of controllers and microprocessors was at $257.3 million in 2018, which is supposed to reach $390.6 million by 2023, at a CAGR of 3.32%.
However, there are some key challenges likely to hinder the growth of the market. The development and manufacturing of robust and reliable radiation-hardened electronics are expensive, leading to a big challenge for the space industry.
Applications of Radiation-Hardened Electronics
Radiation hardened has become the primary need for sectors such as the defense and space sector.
Application in Defense Sector
Defense infrastructure and systems need to keep functioning even in the nuclear detonation areas, due to which there is a high demand for radiation-hardened electronics to tolerate the massive radiation produced by the several explosions taking place.
Radiation Hardened Electronics
Also, these radiation-hardened electronics allow the defense sector and their system to remain functional in several radiation effects such as high levels of electromagnetic radiation and pulses.
To make sure that the electronic systems are working perfectly fine in the areas exposed to a high level of radiation, the role of radiation-hardened electronics become even more mandatory to provide the required design to the products for overcoming such challenges.
Application in Space Sector
Globally, the demand for low-priced satellite communications for several applications such as television content, phone connectivity, agriculture monitoring and surveillance, and the space-based military is constantly pushing the demand for radiation-hardened electronics that help electronics to function effectively in any condition.
In space, the biggest danger to the defense and commercial satellite infrastructure is the presence of massive radiation caused by the solar flares.
This solar flare’s radiation is powerful enough to cause problems with the electronics on the Earth’s surface, such as causing failures and faults in the electronic systems.
Space stations, satellites, and space shuttles are more vulnerable to getting affected by solar flare’s radiation due to the absence of atmospheres to protect them.
In space, radiation-hardened electronics can help to reduce the damage caused to the spacecraft due to the high radiation and help in protecting human passengers from the electromagnetic radiation effects.
Conclusion
Radiation-hardened electronics can be the best way of saving several systems and electronics from the radiation that may affect and stop them from functioning. Adoption of radiation-hardened design in the electronics will act as a protective cover for the electronics to save them from several radiation problems in space.
