by Andrew Holmes-Siedle and Len Adams, 2nd edn (2002), Oxford University Press, ISBN 019850733X, £65 (€102).
This book is aimed at specialists – engineers and applied physicists – employing electronic systems and materials in radiation environments. Its prime role is to explain how to introduce tolerance to radiation into large electronic systems. The reader is expected to be familiar with the theory and operating principles of the various devices. The book mainly addresses components used in space, but also discusses issues specific to other fields, such as military and high-energy physics applications.
The book starts with a quick overview of radiation concepts, units and radiation detection principles, followed by a brief review of the various radiation environments likely to have a degrading effect on electronic devices and systems as encountered in space, energy production (fission and fusion), high-energy physics and in military applications (nuclear weapons). This is followed by a chapter dedicated to a general description of the fundamental effects of radiation in materials and devices: atomic displacement and ionization; as well as colourability of transparent material, single-event phenomena and other transient effects.
Seven central chapters form the core of the handbook, addressing in detail the mechanisms responsible for the degradation of performance of various devices. Each chapter is dedicated to a class of devices: MOS; bipolar transistors and integrated circuits; diodes and optoelectronics such as phototransistors and CCDs; power semiconductors; various types of sensors; and miscellaneous electronic components. The physical problems of total-dose effects and how to predict the electrical changes caused in MOS devices are discussed, along with some of the best solutions to the radiation problem. Long-lived effects, which can be separated into surface and bulk mechanisms, of various radiation types on bipolar transistors are described. How these effects influence the radiation response of bipolar integrated circuits is discussed. The response of the many different types of diodes to radiation is thoroughly discussed in a dedicated chapter. Optoelectronic devices in a hostile environment are subject to multiple effects, and radiation can cause mulfunctioning in a highly tuned, high-technology system. Silicon power devices used as regulators in power subsystems of large space equipment, radiation-generating equipment and nuclear-power sources also suffer from radiation damage. One chapter is devoted to discussing the physics, chemistry and practical problems associated with windows, lenses, optical coatings and optical fibres. Another chapter concentrates on the effects of radiation on polymers and other organics, classifying the main forms of organic degradation under irradiation and summarizing some of the most important examples and problems met with polymers in engineering and science.
Two chapters are dedicated to aspects of radiation shielding of electronic devices and various computer methods for particle transport, essentially with reference to space applications (very thin shields). The three final chapters discuss radiation testing, equipment hardening and hardness assurance. Radiation testing is made unavoidable by the variability in the sensitivity of semiconductors and electronic devices to radiation, which makes it impossible to rely on theory alone to predict the effect on a device of a certain exposure to a given type of radiation. The authors provide guidelines on radiation sources that may be used in irradiation tests, in test procedures and in engineering standards. Finally, they discuss the technologies and methodologies employed in fabricating radiation-hard devices, as well as providing rules of hardening against various types of radiation and for various applications, including remote handling equipment and robots.
Each chapter ends with a summary of its most important points. Besides the usual subject index, a useful author index helps greatly in searching through the large number of references provided at the end of each chapter. With respect to the first edition (1993), the book has been enriched with many references to useful websites, including databases. Surprisingly, the old units rad, rem and curies are used throughout the book, although SI units are provided in brackets. The authors admit they thought hard about what to use, and finally opted for the old system.
It is unfortunate that this otherwise excellent volume contains, here and there, a number of typographical and punctuation errors, and mistakes in some formulae. In a few cases there are contradictory statements a few paragraphs apart. The impression is that the text was not proofread carefully enough before going to print. There are also a few statements that are clearly wrong, such as that X-rays and gamma rays leave no activity in the material irradiated (what about photonuclear reactions above a given threshold?); and others that are confusing, such as in discussing the whole-body dose limit for members of the public. In general, activation phenomena and related problems are also somewhat generally underestimated throughout the book.
Nevertheless, this volume contains a lot of valuable material and is not only a handbook, but also an excellent textbook.
