Hardened Computer Chips with Resistance to Radiation Drive CERN's Accelerators
CERN Develops Radiation-Resistant Electronics for High-Luminosity LHC
CERN, the European Organization for Nuclear Research, has developed a series of custom radiation-resistant silicon chips to withstand the intense radiation and extreme energy conditions encountered in particle accelerators like the Large Hadron Collider (LHC). These chips, such as analog-to-digital converters (ADCs), are crucial for converting electrical signals from particle collisions into usable digital data without failure [1][3][5].
The key design strategies employed by CERN include:
- Use of radiation-hardened semiconductor processes: The custom chips are fabricated using commercial semiconductor manufacturing processes validated by CERN for radiation resistance, ensuring they can survive high radiation doses encountered inside the accelerator environment [3].
- Engineering rugged, ultra-reliable analog and digital circuits: The chips are tailored to function under the LHC’s punishing conditions, with significant levels of particle radiation and electromagnetic interference [1][5].
- Extensive modeling and testing through advanced radiation testing methods: These methods include the use of laser-driven proton sources to ensure the electronics maintain performance after exposure to the harsh environment [2].
- Close collaboration between engineers and physicists: This collaboration allows the devices to be specifically tailored for the physical phenomena being measured and the accelerator’s radiation profile [1][3][5].
These radiation-proof electronics play a vital role in the LHC by reliably recording massive collision data and enabling discoveries such as insights into the Higgs boson. The innovations are driven largely by academic research led by Columbia University engineers partnering with CERN to push beyond what conventional electronics can endure [1][5].
The High-Luminosity LHC, an upgrade intended to boost the luminosity of the LHC by 10x, will require similar or even more advanced radiation-proof electronics. Future CERN projects, like the Future Circular Collider (FFC), with first experiments starting in the mid-2040s, will also require such electronics [6].
CEVA, Inc., a sensor company and partner with CERN, has helped create new compression algorithms that can be used in future experiments. The main application of the collaboration between CEVA & CERN is "Edge AI", or artificial intelligence applications deployed on devices away from the data centers and closer to the consumers [7].
In high-radiation environments like particle accelerators, options to solve the issue include using shielding, redundancy and error correction, or building electronics systems that are naturally resistant to radiation. Despite the market for radiation-resistant circuits being too small to entice investment from commercial chip manufacturers, the chips perform well in the environment of the ATLAS detector, although no matter how hardened, these levels of radiation will cause some errors and problems in any electronic systems [8].
The ATLAS particle detector, the largest ever built, measures 46 meters long and 25 meters in diameter. For the ATLAS particle detector, 45,617 of these radiation-resistant chips will be used [9]. The ATLAS particle detector is a crucial component of the LHC, helping to record and analyse the data generated by particle collisions.
References:
[1] CERN
[2] Nature
[3] IEEE Spectrum
[4] CEVA, Inc.
[5] Columbia University
[6] CERN
[7] CEVA, Inc.
[8] IEEE Spectrum
[9] CERN
- The advancements in radiation-resistant electronics by CERN, such as those used in the data-and-cloud-computing for space-and-astronomy applications like the Large Hadron Collider, are essential for withstanding the extreme conditions encountered in these environments.
- The innovation in radiation-proof electronics, like those developed by CERN for space-and-astronomy and data-and-cloud-computing, will be crucial in future projects such as the High-Luminosity LHC and the Future Circular Collider (FFC), which demand even more robust electronics to function optimally in high-radiation environments.
