Radiation Test — ESCC / MIL-STD-883 / ECSS-Q-ST-60-15

What Is Radiation?

Radiation testing is a group of tests in which the component is evaluated for total ionising dose (TID), single-event effects (SEE), and displacement damage. It is a fundamental step in space-electronics qualification.

Purpose of Radiation

The purpose is to verify that electronic components retain their function at the radiation dose they will be exposed to over the mission duration, and are resistant to single-event effects.

Which Products Is Radiation Applied To?

Space electronics and integrated circuits
Power converters
Sensors and detectors
Optical and polymer materials

In Which Sectors Is Radiation Used?

AerospaceSpaceDefenceElectronics

Standards Related to Radiation

ESCC basic specifications
MIL-STD-883 Method 1019
ECSS-Q-ST-60-15
JESD57

Radiation Conditions

Total dose (TID): Defined in krad(Si), according to the mission profile
Dose rate: Defined in the standard; low-dose-rate effects are assessed separately
Single-event effects: SEU, SEL, SET, SEB assessment with a heavy-ion or proton beam
Temperature: Defined in the standard; elevated temperature in some tests

Equipment for Radiation

Gamma irradiation source (Co-60)
Access to a heavy-ion or proton accelerator
Dosimetry system
Electrical-characterisation rig during irradiation

Sample Requirements for Radiation

The number of specimens and lot traceability must be documented
Electrical characterisation must be performed before irradiation
Critical parameters and limits must be defined
Some tests are single-use

Duration of Radiation

It depends on source access and dose level; the programme typically takes weeks.

Radiation Procedure

1The mission radiation environment and target dose are determined.
2Electrical characterisation is performed before irradiation.
3Irradiation is applied at the defined dose rate.
4Parameters are measured at interim dose points.
5Beam tests are carried out for single-event effects.
6Results are reported as parameter shift and event cross-section.

Radiation Acceptance Criteria

The acceptance criterion is given in the specification as the permitted shift limits for critical parameters and single-event-effect thresholds.

Evaluation of Results

TID and SEE are different mechanisms; a component that passes one can fail the other. Dose-rate effects are especially important in bipolar technologies.

Radiation Report

Applied standards
Target dose and dose rate
Dosimetry records
Pre-/post-irradiation parameters
Single-event-effect cross-sections

Accreditation

EUROLAB holds internationally recognised accreditation obtained from accreditation bodies party to the IAF and ILAC multilateral recognition arrangements, under ISO/IEC 17025 for laboratory testing, ISO/IEC 17020 for inspection and surveillance, and ISO/IEC 17021-1 and ISO/IEC 17065 for system and product certification. This chain ensures the reports and certificates issued are accepted worldwide.

Whether this test can be offered within accredited scope depends on your product and the standard applied; since accreditation is method-based, the scope is confirmed in writing at the quotation stage.

Scope and authorisations

Related Regulations

Space-component qualification specifications

Aerospace Testing — What Does This Testing Field Cover?

The section below describes the field that the Radiation test belongs to; the conditions and acceptance criteria of this particular test are given in the sections above. The scope specific to your product is confirmed in writing at the quotation stage.

Aerospace testing shows that equipment keeps working in the flight environment and provides evidence for the airworthiness file. In this family the acceptable probability of failure is several orders of magnitude lower than in other sectors; this directly determines the scope of testing and the certification burden.

The most distinctive feature of the field is TRACEABILITY. Which melt an aircraft part came from, in which heat treatment furnace and with which cycle it was processed, which operator made the weld and which inspector approved it are all recorded. The test report is one link in this chain; if the chain is broken, the report carries no value on its own.

Environmental qualification runs through RTCA DO-160, with categories selected according to the equipment's MOUNTING LOCATION in the aircraft. A device mounted on the cockpit panel and one mounted inside the wing pass the same section under different categories. When reading a DO-160 report it is therefore essential to know which sections were applied at which categories.

On the software and complex hardware side the approach changes entirely: the evidence is not testing but PROCESS ASSURANCE. DO-178C for software and DO-254 for complex electronic hardware define how the development process is to be run and which evidence is to be produced. Every step, from requirement to code, from testing of the code to coverage analysis, must be traceable. Testing software does not make it certifiable; the process record does.

A separate body of work applies on the material and special process side. AWS D17.1 is used for welding, SAE AMS 2750 for pyrometry in heat treatment and NAS 410 for non-destructive testing personnel. For special processes (heat treatment, coating, welding, NDT, bonding) NADCAP accreditation is effectively mandatory in the supply chain; without NADCAP it is not possible to sell parts to many OEMs.

On the quality system side the AS/EN 9100 series is used: 9100 for manufacturers, 9110 for maintenance organisations and 9120 for distributors. Without these certificates it is practically impossible to enter the aerospace supply chain, and audits are markedly more detailed than in other sectors.

Counterfeit part risk is a subject peculiar to the field. Separate standards and verification methods (visual inspection, X-ray, decapsulation and internal structure examination, XRF) are used to detect counterfeit or reworked parts in the electronic component supply chain.

Space applications add further layers: outgassing in vacuum, radiation tolerance, long-duration thermal vacuum cycling and assessment of single event effects.

Method groups in this field

Environmental qualification
RTCA DO-160 sections: temperature and altitude, vibration, shock, humidity, sand and dust, fungus, salt fog, fluid susceptibility, icing, lightning.
Electromagnetic
The EMC sections of DO-160; MIL-STD-461 and MIL-STD-704 power characteristics on military platforms.
Software and hardware assurance
DO-178C software life cycle and DO-254 hardware design assurance evidence; requirement traceability and coverage analysis.
Materials and welding
Welding qualification under AWS D17.1, mechanical testing of materials, metallography and non-destructive examination.
Special process control
SAE AMS 2750 pyrometry, coating and heat treatment process verification, preparation for NADCAP audits.
Space environment
Thermal vacuum cycling, outgassing, radiation tolerance and acoustic/vibration qualification.

Commonly confused in this field

There is no such document as a "DO-160 certificate"; DO-160 is a test specification and its output is a qualification report.
The selection of sections and categories comes from the customer's equipment specification; the laboratory cannot make that selection on its own.
DO-178C and DO-254 cannot be satisfied by testing; the evidence is the traceability of the development process.
An AS9100 certificate is not a product approval; it is a quality system certificate and part approval runs separately.
For special processes, work carried out without NADCAP is not accepted in the supply chain even when it is technically correct.
MIL-STD-810 and DO-160 are often confused: one is a military and the other a civil aviation specification, and their profiles differ.

Which decisions these results support

Airworthiness and TSO/ETSO files
Entry into the aerospace supply chain and supplier approval
Special process approval and NADCAP preparation
Determining the impact of a design change on qualification
Managing counterfeit part risk and component verification

Related Tests

Frequently Asked Questions About Radiation

What is the difference between TID and SEE?

TID is the gradual degradation caused by the total dose accumulated over time. SEE is a fault or damage caused instantaneously by a single high-energy particle. The two are evaluated with separate tests.