ABSTRACT
Photonic technologies and their response to radiation play key roles in space systems, but are also important for terrestrial applications such as medical imaging, scientific (nuclear and particle physics), and commercial (e.g., nuclear waste and power plant monitoring). Space system applications vary widely from detector arrays used for either imaging or spectroscopy, to solar cells for power, to fiber optic data links for data transmission to the ubiquitous optocoupler that provides electrical isolation among other functions. Unlike most electronic devices, photonic devices can be very sensitive to displacement damage in addition to total ionizing dose (TID) and single-event effects (SEEs). Demanding sensor applications such as those with low noise requirements and long integration times may be negatively impacted by space environments that are routine for many other electronic technologies. In addition, detectors are frequently operated cryogenically for improved performance and radiation tolerance. There is an increasing demand to employ displacement damage–sensitive photonic devices (e.g., charge-coupled devices [CCDs], photodetectors, light-emitting diodes [LEDs], optocouplers, and solar cells) in harsh proton environments (and/or on longer missions).
