Institute for Space and Defense Electronics
Encyclopedia
The Institute for Space and Defense Electronics (ISDE) is a research facility at Vanderbilt University
, a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee
. ISDE is housed in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and is the largest such academic facility in the world.
, Arnold Engineering Development Center
, NASA
Goddard Space Flight Center
, Mission Research Corporation, Boeing
/DARPA and BAE Systems
. ISDE engineers help to identify radiation related issues at the device and circuit levels, propose design solutions and implement test plans. Expertise includes, but is not limited to, Intersil, Honeywell and IBM processes.
was established in 1987 and is the largest program of its kind in the United States of America. It is the only academic program actively involved in supporting the United States Department of Defense
in radiation effects for strategic applications and one of a very few programs involved in microelectronics research for space applications. In January 2003, the Radiation-Effects Group established the Institute for Space and Defense Electronics in order to extend its capabilities to serve government and commercial customers.
, Michigan State University
and Indiana University
.
An array of test equipment is available to facilitate the characterization of irradiated devices and ICs. Vanderbilt also has in place a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with NAVSEA-Crane that provides access to a suite of radiation sources and fully equipped parts analysis laboratory. Vanderbilt's Advanced Computing Center for Research and Education (ACCRE) houses VAMPIRE, a 1800+ processor Beowulf cluster supercomputer used to execute Vanderbilt's Technology Computer Aided Design (TCAD) suite and the particle interaction simulator based on Geant4.
Vanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
, a private research university in Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville, Tennessee
Nashville is the capital of the U.S. state of Tennessee and the county seat of Davidson County. It is located on the Cumberland River in Davidson County, in the north-central part of the state. The city is a center for the health care, publishing, banking and transportation industries, and is home...
. ISDE is housed in the Department of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science and is the largest such academic facility in the world.
Objective
The mission of ISDE is to contribute to the design and analysis of radiation-hardened electronics, the development of test methods and plans for assuring radiation hardness, and the development of solutions to system-specific problems related to radiation effects. ISDE was launched with initial support from the US Navy SSPO and Draper Labs. In addition, ISDE currently supports the Defense Threat Reduction AgencyDefense Threat Reduction Agency
The Defense Threat Reduction Agency is an agency within the United States Department of Defense and is the official Combat Support Agency for countering weapons of mass destruction . DTRA's main functions are threat reduction, threat control, combat support, and technology development...
, Arnold Engineering Development Center
Arnold Engineering Development Center
Arnold Engineering Development Center is a ground-based flight test facility operated by the US Air Force Materiel Command.-Mission statement:The AEDC mission is to:...
, NASA
NASA
The National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
Goddard Space Flight Center
Goddard Space Flight Center
The Goddard Space Flight Center is a major NASA space research laboratory established on May 1, 1959 as NASA's first space flight center. GSFC employs approximately 10,000 civil servants and contractors, and is located approximately northeast of Washington, D.C. in Greenbelt, Maryland, USA. GSFC,...
, Mission Research Corporation, Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
/DARPA and BAE Systems
BAE Systems
BAE Systems plc is a British multinational defence, security and aerospace company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, that has global interests, particularly in North America through its subsidiary BAE Systems Inc. BAE is among the world's largest military contractors; in 2009 it was the...
. ISDE engineers help to identify radiation related issues at the device and circuit levels, propose design solutions and implement test plans. Expertise includes, but is not limited to, Intersil, Honeywell and IBM processes.
Background
The Radiation-Effects Group at Vanderbilt UniversityVanderbilt University
Vanderbilt University is a private research university located in Nashville, Tennessee, United States. Founded in 1873, the university is named for shipping and rail magnate "Commodore" Cornelius Vanderbilt, who provided Vanderbilt its initial $1 million endowment despite having never been to the...
was established in 1987 and is the largest program of its kind in the United States of America. It is the only academic program actively involved in supporting the United States Department of Defense
United States Department of Defense
The United States Department of Defense is the U.S...
in radiation effects for strategic applications and one of a very few programs involved in microelectronics research for space applications. In January 2003, the Radiation-Effects Group established the Institute for Space and Defense Electronics in order to extend its capabilities to serve government and commercial customers.
Facilities
The ISDE facility is located off of the Vanderbilt University campus and provides an office environment conducive to engineering and project management activities. However, the Institute has full access to the University’s laboratories and meeting facilities located on campus just a short walk away. The ISDE office is a secure, limited access facility allowing only approved personnel to enter without an ISDE employee escort.Capabilities
The engineering staff of ISDE performs design, analysis and modeling work for a variety of space and defense-oriented organizations. ISDE engineers help to identify radiation-related issues at the device and circuit levels, propose design solutions, and implement test plans. ISDE has an array of software tools for simulating radiation effects and designing integrated circuits, a high performance parallel computing cluster, several types of radiation sources, and extensive electrical characterization capability. Specifically, ISDE has an extensive suite of test and characterization equipment for radiation-effects analysis, including an ARACOR 10-keV x-ray irritator, two Cs-137 isotopic irradiators and a 2-MeV proton source. ISDE team members have extensive experience conducting single-event tests at facilities including Brookhaven National LaboratoryBrookhaven National Laboratory
Brookhaven National Laboratory , is a United States national laboratory located in Upton, New York on Long Island, and was formally established in 1947 at the site of Camp Upton, a former U.S. Army base...
, Michigan State University
Michigan State University
Michigan State University is a public research university in East Lansing, Michigan, USA. Founded in 1855, it was the pioneer land-grant institution and served as a model for future land-grant colleges in the United States under the 1862 Morrill Act.MSU pioneered the studies of packaging,...
and Indiana University
Indiana University
Indiana University is a multi-campus public university system in the state of Indiana, United States. Indiana University has a combined student body of more than 100,000 students, including approximately 42,000 students enrolled at the Indiana University Bloomington campus and approximately 37,000...
.
An array of test equipment is available to facilitate the characterization of irradiated devices and ICs. Vanderbilt also has in place a Cooperative Research and Development Agreement (CRADA) with NAVSEA-Crane that provides access to a suite of radiation sources and fully equipped parts analysis laboratory. Vanderbilt's Advanced Computing Center for Research and Education (ACCRE) houses VAMPIRE, a 1800+ processor Beowulf cluster supercomputer used to execute Vanderbilt's Technology Computer Aided Design (TCAD) suite and the particle interaction simulator based on Geant4.
Radiation-Effects Group sponsors
- US Navy Strategic Systems Program Office
- NAVSEA-Crane
- U.S. Air Force Office of Scientific Research
- Defense Threat Reduction AgencyDefense Threat Reduction AgencyThe Defense Threat Reduction Agency is an agency within the United States Department of Defense and is the official Combat Support Agency for countering weapons of mass destruction . DTRA's main functions are threat reduction, threat control, combat support, and technology development...
- NASANASAThe National Aeronautics and Space Administration is the agency of the United States government that is responsible for the nation's civilian space program and for aeronautics and aerospace research...
—GSFC and JPL - Sandia National Labs
- BAE SystemsBAE SystemsBAE Systems plc is a British multinational defence, security and aerospace company headquartered in London, United Kingdom, that has global interests, particularly in North America through its subsidiary BAE Systems Inc. BAE is among the world's largest military contractors; in 2009 it was the...
Major programs
- Design and test of radiation-tolerant integrated circuits and semiconductor devices.
- Development and application of simulation tools for analyzing the effects of radiation on integrated circuits and semiconductor devices
- Test methods and plans for predicting the survival of electronics in radiation environments.
- Basic physical mechanisms of radiation damage in semiconductor devices and materials.