Qualification of a new facility for neutron hardness assurance testing of electronics [for military systems]

The challenges of qualifying a TRIGA reactor for electronics testing are presented. Early concerns centered on the test chamber development, parts test setup, and neutron-to-gamma ratio. Later efforts were directed at achieving uniformity and reproducibility by following ASTM standards. A spectrum determination was conducted. Several problems were encountered when attempting to establish dosimetry methods. Lack of correlation between semiconductor part test results at the TRIGA and a fast burst reactor (FBR) led to NIST calibration