2 November 2026

 

An energetic particle striking a memory chip can change a stored bit from 0 to 1, or vice versa. The device may continue operating with altered information until the error is corrected or the data overwritten. In a spacecraft, engineers need to anticipate such events and prevent them from disrupting critical functions.

Other radiation effects can gradually degrade performance or permanently damage a component. Before selecting hardware for a mission, engineers therefore need to establish how it behaves under the exposures it could encounter.

A partnership between Indiana University and imec, the Belgian semiconductor research centre, will investigate those responses in advanced electronic and photonic components. Announced on 27 October 2026, the collaboration will see imec supply devices for radiation testing and analysis by IU CREATE, the university’s Center for Reliable and Trusted Electronics. The aim is to understand their behaviour in extreme environments, including those encountered in space.

By pairing imec’s components with CREATE’s expertise in radiation effects, the partners will connect semiconductor development with detailed reliability research. They will share their findings to support future research proposals and publications.

 

How space radiation affects semiconductor chips

 

Space radiation includes energetic particles associated with cosmic rays, solar activity and particles trapped by planetary magnetic fields. NASA distinguishes several ways these can affect electronics, including individual particle strikes and damage accumulated through exposure.

The memory error described above is a single-event upset (SEU), one of several effects that an individual particle can cause. Unlike permanent damage, it changes the device’s state without necessarily damaging its structure. Other single-event effects include brief electrical disturbances and potentially destructive failures, so engineers must establish both what happens and whether recovery is possible.

Accumulated exposure presents a different challenge. Total ionising dose (TID) can alter electrical characteristics as charge becomes trapped in insulating materials and interfaces. Radiation can also displace atoms within semiconductor materials, creating defects that affect performance.

The importance of these effects depends on the mission: an interruption that can be managed during routine operation could be unacceptable during a critical manoeuvre. NASA’s radiation-assurance guidance therefore combines assessment of the expected environment with component testing and protections in hardware, software and operations.

 

How radiation testing measures chip reliability

 

In a typical radiation test, researchers first establish how a device performs without exposure, then monitor its response under defined irradiation conditions or measure changes afterwards. Comparing the results reveals whether it experiences recoverable errors, lasting degradation or both.

For an electronic component, relevant observations could include changes in current, operating characteristics or data errors. For a photonic device, researchers might examine how much light passes through it or whether its optical response changes. The measurements must match the function being investigated.

At CREATE, researchers combine experiments with modelling to understand failure mechanisms and develop hardening techniques. Its capabilities include pulsed-laser testing of single-event effects and comparison with heavy-ion responses. The centre also lists an on-site neutron source and access to external radiation facilities.

These are CREATE’s published capabilities; the partnership announcement does not identify the devices or experimental methods selected for the project.

 

Why photonic chips need radiation testing

 

Alongside its electronics work, CREATE researches integrated photonics for robust space communication and sensing. Photonic components generate, guide, modify or detect light, and integrated photonics brings optical functions together on a chip. These functions allow light to carry information or help measure properties of the environment.

For spacecraft, the attraction includes opportunities to reduce size, weight and power consumption. The European Space Agency identifies applications across communications, scientific instruments and Earth observation, including sensors and spectrometers. Assessing their reliability requires examining the individual structures that handle the light.

A waveguide carries light along a defined path. A modulator changes an optical signal so it can carry information, while a photodetector converts incoming light into an electrical signal. Because these components perform different tasks, a result for one does not establish how the others will behave under radiation.

A 2024 study by researchers affiliated with the German Aerospace Center and the Technical University of Munich illustrates the distinction. They simulated heavy-ion effects in a silicon waveguide, examining how particle-induced changes could temporarily increase optical losses and reduce transmitted power.

The simulations indicated only a small impact on transmission in the satellite orbits considered. That finding supports the potential of silicon photonics for space, while applying specifically to the structures and environments modelled; it was not a qualification test of a complete communications system.

 

From radiation testing to space qualification

 

Evidence of a temporary disturbance may inform recovery mechanisms; evidence of lasting degradation may influence component selection, operating limits or design changes. The appropriate response depends on the failure mechanism and the consequences for the surrounding system.

NASA Ames design guidance makes that connection explicit by tying radiation requirements to the mission environment and required performance. Its single-event provisions allow some temporary losses of function or data only where they do not compromise system health or mission-critical activity, and recovery meets mission needs.

Radiation is also only part of space qualification. ESA describes photonic-component testing that includes temperature extremes, vibration and other environmental stresses. A component’s suitability depends on meeting the relevant requirements across that wider assessment.

By bringing imec’s advanced components into CREATE’s radiation research, the partnership could give developers valuable feedback while technologies are still being refined. Understanding where devices are resilient, and where they need improvement, can help guide their development towards demanding applications. For future spacecraft designers, that could mean a stronger evidence base for using new electronic and photonic technologies in communication, sensing and onboard computing.