A I R B U S

R A D I AT I O N-P R O O F I N G

E L E C T R O N I C C O M P O N E N T S

F O R S AT E L L I T E S

T H E C O M P A N Y

Airbus is one of the world’s largest aerospace

companies, with over 130 000 employees and

a turnover approaching €50bn. Although best

known for its airliners, the European corporation is

also the world’s largest supplier of Earth observation

satellites, and one of the top manufacturers of

telecommunication satellites.

T H E W O R K

Space weather is a major problem for satellites.

Consisting of very high-energy particles f lying

through space, it can ionise electronic components,

causing them to fail. In the past, aerospace

companies have tested how resistant their

components are to space weather by irradiating

them with lasers or at particle accelerators,

but these types of radiation do not penetrate

as deeply as the real thing.

By contrast, synchrotron X-rays are highly

penetrating. In 2018, Airbus became the first

company to use the ESRF’s ID09 beamline to run

an irradiation test on a state-of-the-art, stacked

electronic device – in this case a stack of flash

memory cells. The test proved that X-rays can cause

ionising events similar to those generated by space

weather, even deep inside stacked components.

Similar testing is now available routinely via the

Platform for Advanced Characterisation Grenoble

(see box).

T H E I M P A C T

“For several years, aerospace scientists in the US

have been using X-rays for irradiation testing:

our work at the ESRF proved we can do the same

in Europe It has also paved the way for greater

testing of stacked threedimensional components

to reduce the risk of their failure in space These

components are faster and more compact than

their f lat counterparts and as a result are being

increasingly used Currently Airbus is pursuing

irradiation testing at the ESRF indirectly

by sponsoring a research project at the IRT Saint

Exupéry in Toulouse France However I expect that

Airbus will return to the ESRF in the future to test

specif ic components that cannot be characterised at

standard heavyion facilities to ensure the longevity

of our latest satellites in orbit

Cécile Weulersse electronic engineer Airbus

“Our ESRF work

proved we can do X-ray

irradiation testing

in Europe.”

Cécile Weulersse,

electronic engineer, Airbus

KEY FACTS

The Platform for Advanced Characterisation

Grenoble provides routine testing for

radiation damage using the combined

facilities of the ESRF and the Institut

LaueLangevin on the EPN campus

and the Laboratory of Subatomic Physics

and Cosmology in Grenoble

It is part of the Technological Research

Institute IRT Nanoelec an initiative of the

French government to promote innovation

in the micro and nanoelectronics sector

through publicprivate partnerships

For more information please visit

wwwpacgrenobleeu

I M P A C T O N I N D U S T R YIndustry uses ESRF instrumentation

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