Radiation Test Facilities

The Radiation Hardness Assurance and Component Analysis Section (TEC-QEC) operates Internal Radiation Test Facilities on the ESTEC site and supports, promotes and makes regular use of specialised External Test Facilities.

The QEC radiation test facilities at ESTEC can be made available, free of charge, to external users for testing to be performed under ESA contract, for ESA projects and to some extent for other collaborative purposes. For the submission of proposals, requests and details concerning conditions and effective availability please contact the section .

The ESA supported external radiation facilities HIF, PIF  & RADEF have a reserved annual beam time allocation for space component testing available at competitive rates. Please refer to the facility test co-ordinator (hyperlink below) for details. Beam time free of charge may be made available by ESA under conditions similar to those for the use of ESTEC radiation test facilities (please contact the section).

Estec Co-60 Facility  

The facility consists of a larger control room and radiation cell with 14 cable feed-throughs enabling monitoring and control of experiments under test. Automated total dose and dose rate setting, monitoring and logging are available via Labview control software running on a PC. This system may also be used for automated monitoring of experiments under test. While irradiating, dose rates are easily changed by use of a rail system installed in the radiation cell.   More info 

 

CASE (Californium-252 Assessment of Single-event Effects)

As an alternative to the conventional heavy ion accelerator, the CASE laboratory test system offer a low cost approach to simulate the cosmic ray effects in semiconductors. The entire test facility is contained within a simple bell jar. The CASE system uses a 1 to 2 microcurie Cf-252 source which is safe to handle in the laboratory provided the normal precautions for the handling of radioactive sources are taken. The spontaneous fission of Californium-252, which has an effective half-life of 2.65 years, produces a wide range of high-energy particles having an average LET of 43 MeV/(mg/cm2).  More info

 

Proton Irradiation Facility  (PIF)

The PIF  at the Paul Scherrer Institut (PSI), Villigen, Switzerland.

 -> PSI Frame  (Front drawing - Side drawing)

 

Cyclotron Resource Centre (UCL) 

The  Heavy ions (HIF) and  Protons (LIF) beams t the Université Catholique de Louvain (UCL), Centre de Recherches du Cyclotron, Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium.

A SEE Frame has been designed and constructed by UCL, and is compatible to all three facilities holders - see these two drawings for details

-> UCL Frame ( Frame Drawing )

 

Radiation Effects Facility (RADEF)

Heavy ion beam  , Protons Beam , Electrons beam ,  at   RADEF at Jyväskylä University , Finland.

 

 

List of links to other European SEE & TID IRRADIATION TEST Facilities