Total Ionizing Dose vs Single-Event Effects
Radiation harms electronics two ways: cumulative dose that shifts device parameters, and single events that flip or destroy; qualification must address both.
Two clocks running
Radiation effects on electronics divide into cumulative and instantaneous. Total ionizing dose (TID) is the slow accumulation of trapped charge that gradually shifts thresholds, raises leakage, and eventually degrades a part. Single-event effects are discrete: one particle, one upset or one failure. A part can pass one and fail the other.
Where neutrons fit
High-energy neutrons are principally an SEE and displacement-damage hazard rather than a TID driver, since they deposit little ionizing dose directly. A 14 MeV source therefore targets the single-event and displacement side of the qualification problem, complementing gamma and X-ray facilities used for TID.
- TID: use gamma / X-ray sources, watch parameter drift
- SEE: use particle beams, count discrete events
- Displacement: neutrons degrade carrier lifetime and gain
A complete picture
Responsible qualification uses the right source for each mode and states which was tested. Kronos is explicit that its neutron service addresses SEE and displacement damage; it does not claim to cover TID, which needs different facilities.
Sequencing a full qualification
A complete radiation qualification schedules each mode against the right facility: gamma or X-ray for total dose, particle beams for single-event effects, and neutrons for displacement damage. The order matters, since some effects interact, and the report must state which modes were covered and which were not. Kronos is deliberate about scope: it delivers the neutron-driven parts of this picture and points programs to complementary facilities for total-dose work rather than implying one source covers everything.
This is a public overview only. It contains no classified information, no operational detail, and no weapons-design content.