Speaker
Description
The recent revival of space exploration implies an increased interest in space travels that are associated with many challenges and risks, mostly related to the ever-changing adverse space weather. Radiation of any types can be detrimental to both astronauts and the equipment on-board. The capability of monitoring radiation levels reliably in space is therefore becoming a critical aspect for space missions. Many existing radiation monitoring systems are bulky and require operation at high voltages with considerable power consumption. Other systems are often fabricated using off-the-shelf components, including Si diodes for radiation detection, but lack the necessary radiation tolerance to ensure sensor survival throughout the entire mission.
In the past decade, it was demonstrated that the "3D silicon sensor technology" provides unique solutions to the limitations of the existing technologies for radiation monitoring in space. 3D radiation detectors feature increased radiation hardness, due to their much shorter inter-electrode distance and increased freedom in electrode placement. The use of 3D sensor technology in radiation monitoring was first proposed by the Centre for Medical Radiation Physics (CMRP, Australia) in collaboration SINTEF (Norway) as a strategy to overcome many of the limitations of other sensor technologies. By creating micron-sized, cylindrical 3D sensitive volumes, this new type of sensor would be able to measure the microdosimetric spectra of mixed radiation environments and, through the theory of micro-dosimetry, return and estimation of the damage to biological tissue. This would allow to provide an accurate real-time reading of the risk posed to the crew by the radiation in space during the mission. 3D silicon processing also allows the integration of tissue-equivalent materials (e.g. PMMA) directly into the sensors, providing a more accurate representation of the interaction of radiation with the human body.
In this presentation we will discuss the idea behind 3D silicon microdosimeters, the challenges encountered during sensor fabrication and some of the results from recent sensor characterisation.
