Speaker
Description
Radiation hardness qualification of electronic components, boards, systems and shielding material relies on specialized irradiation facilities capable of reproducing realistic radiation environments, including heavy ions, protons, neutrons, gamma rays, and electrons. These facilities are typically operated by research institutions and provide irradiation services to industry, space agencies, and academia. To help address this users’ need, the EU-funded RADNEXT program was established in 2021 to provide transnational access to irradiation infrastructures, and its successor, RADNEXT 2030, was launched in June 2026. This presentation will introduce the RADNEXT 2030 network of 30 irradiation facilities, focusing on heavy-ion, proton, and neutron capabilities while also covering complementary source such as gammas and electrons.
In addition to radiation effects testing on electronic devices, the program supports the evaluation of shielding materials for applications in Earth orbit, lunar missions, and deep-space exploration; irradiation testing is essential for validating radiation transport models and simulations, enabling the quantification of shielding performance under representative conditions and supporting the development and qualification of optimized shielding solutions e.g. for planetary habitats, astronaut protection during spaceflight, and advanced space suits. Beam time with in the RADNEXT program is awarded through a competitive proposal-based process. Granted beam time is free of charge for the user while the facilities get reimbursed by the EU-program.