Together with Proton Accelerator
The Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute (KAERI) announced on April 20 that its research reactor Hanaro and proton accelerator have been registered in JEDEC JESD89B, an international standard related to semiconductor fault detection.
According to the institute, the accelerator and the reactor are capable of irradiating semiconductors with 100MeV protons and 25meV thermal neutrons, respectively. “This means soft error situations attributable to atmospheric and cosmic radiation can be imitated quickly,” it explained.
“Through a simulation using the accelerator and the reactor, semiconductor points vulnerable to radiation, soft error frequency, and so on can be detected and the effects of follow-up measures as well as pre-responses can be measured,” it mentioned.
“South Korea is one of the biggest semiconductor manufacturers in the world and yet completely dependent on foreign technologies when it comes to soft error assessment,” said KAERI President Park Won-seok, continuing, “However, the registration will contribute to the quality and reliability of the domestic technology.”