A Heavy Ion Monitor on a Chip Based on a Non-Volatile Memory Architecture

TL;DR

This paper evaluates a novel particle detector based on NROM technology for space radiation monitoring, demonstrating high sensitivity to heavy ions through experimental irradiation tests.

Contribution

It introduces a heavy ion monitor on a chip utilizing NROM technology, with experimental validation for space radiation detection applications.

Findings

High sensitivity to high-Z heavy ions

Medium sensitivity to low-Z ions

Effective for space-based heavy ion detection

Abstract

The performance of a particle detector derived from nitride read-only memory (NROM) technology is evaluated, with immediate applications in space-based heavy ion radiation monitoring and detection. Irradiation exposures are performed using 40 MeV/u $^{78}$Kr and 10 MeV/u $^4$He particle beams at the Texas A&M University Cyclotron Institute. The results show a strong sensitivity to high-Z heavy ions, and medium sensitivity to low-Z heavy ions.