Editing Radiation hardening (section)

{{short description|Processes and techniques used for making electronic devices resistant to ionizing radiation}}
{{distinguish|hard radiation|radiation embrittlement}}
{{for|hardening of materials caused by radiation|radiation damage}}
'''Radiation hardening''' is the process of making [[electronic components]] and circuits resistant to damage or malfunction caused by high levels of [[ionizing radiation]] ([[particle radiation]] and high-energy [[electromagnetic radiation]]),<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Radiation hardening |last=Messenger |first=George C. |encyclopedia=AccessScience |doi=10.1036/1097-8542.566850}}</ref> especially for environments in [[outer space]] (especially beyond [[low Earth orbit]]), around [[nuclear reactor]]s and [[particle accelerators]], or during [[nuclear accident]]s or [[nuclear warfare]].

Most [[Semiconductor device|semiconductor electronic components]] are susceptible to radiation damage, and '''radiation-hardened''' ('''rad-hard''') components are based on their non-hardened equivalents, with some design and manufacturing variations that reduce the susceptibility to radiation damage. Due to the low demand and the extensive development and testing required to produce a radiation-tolerant design of a [[microelectronics|microelectronic]] chip, the technology of radiation-hardened chips tends to lag behind the most recent developments.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=Heyman |first=Karen |date=2024-02-15 |title=SRAM Scaling Issues, And What Comes Next |url=https://semiengineering.com/sram-scaling-issues-and-what-comes-next/ |access-date=2024-10-24 |website=Semiconductor Engineering |language=en-US}}</ref> They also typically cost more than their commercial counterparts.<ref name=":0" />

Radiation-hardened products are typically tested to one or more resultant-effects tests, including total ionizing dose (TID), enhanced low dose rate effects (ELDRS), neutron and proton displacement damage, and single event effects (SEEs).