Title: Radiation Effects on Electronics: from Accelerators to Space

Location: US

Company: KU Leuven

About this course:
Radiation is an invisible but fundamental part of the environments where modern electronics operate - from outer space to high-energy accelerators, and even here on Earth. But how exactly does radiation interact with electronic devices? And how can engineers design systems that remain reliable under these extreme conditions?
In this course, you will explore how radiation affects electronics, combining fundamental physics with practical engineering approaches. Starting from the basics, you will learn how radiation environments are formed and how they vary across space, atmospheric, and artificial settings. You will then dive into the key mechanisms by which particles and photons interact with matter, and how these interactions translate into real effects inside semiconductor devices.
Building on this foundation, the course will guide you through the main radiation-induced failure mechanisms in modern electronics, from cumulative degradation to single-event effects that can disrupt or damage circuits in an instant. You will also learn how engineers design radiation-tolerant systems, using hardening techniques such as circuit-level mitigation and system-level redundancy. Finally, you will gain practical insight into how radiation hardness is evaluated in space and accelerator applications.
This course is intended for engineers, physicists, and anyone interested in understanding how electronics can not only survive but also perform reliably in the most challenging radiation environments.

Understand the dynamics of radiation environments

Understand the different particle-matter interaction mechanisms

Understand the radiation-induced failure mechanisms in electronics devices

Identify design strategies to mitigate the radiation effects in devices and systems

Apply radiation hardness assurance techniques

Learn how radiation affects electronics, how electronic circuits may overcome the challenges they face in radiation environments such as in space and accelerators, and how their radiation hardness can be evaluated.

Duration: 6 weeks

Skills:
- Electronic Circuits
- Electronics
- Energetic
- Failure Mechanisms
- Hardening
- Physics
- Semiconductors

Curriculum:
- Understand the dynamics of radiation environments
- Understand the different particle-matter interaction mechanisms
- Understand the radiation-induced failure mechanisms in electronics devices
- Identify design strategies to mitigate the radiation effects in devices and systems

- Apply radiation hardness assurance techniques