Radiation & Survivability Engineering Services

Northrop Grumman performs analysis & test to mitigate effects from natural and nuclear weapon radiation environments.

technician working on high-tech equipment

Capabilities Radiation Test Operations Irradiators Off-Site Facility Rental and Logistics Contact Us / Becoming a Customer

Northrop Grumman’s Radiation & Survivability team offers tailored, in-house testing and analysis services specifically designed to meet the unique needs of clients within the aerospace and defense industries.

Located in Redondo Beach, California, our Radiation & Survivability Center of Excellence conducts research on the effects of natural and nuclear weapon environments on space systems, including:

Satellite and missile programs
Airborne platforms
A broad classified portfolio

Capabilities

RADIATION TEST OPERATIONS

Our dedicated team conducts electronic tests in ionizing/particle radiation environments to assess degradation caused by the impacts of natural space conditions or nuclear weapons in our state-of-the-art Radiation Test Operations (RTO) Laboratory. RTO, which has served customers with its own irradiators since 1968, provides turnkey service solutions and offers cradle-to-grave test development, execution, and logistics.

NATURAL SPACE RADIATION & SURVIVABILITY TEST AND ANALYSIS

Total Ionizing Dose, including Enhanced Low Dose Rate Sensitivity (ELDRS), and Displacement Damage
Single Event Effect Criticality Analyses and Rate Calculations: Upsets, Latchup, Burnout, Transients, Functional Interrupts, Gate Ruptures
Material Survivability Effects: Micrometeoroids & Orbital Debris, Atomic Oxygen, UV Degradation, etc.

NUCLEAR HARDNESS & SURVIVABILITY TEST AND ANALYSIS

Exo-and Endo- atmospheric threats:

Transient Radiation Effects in Electronics (TREE) from Prompt Dose Photocurrents, High Dose Rate Total Ionizing Dose (HDR TID), and Neutron Displacement Damage
Neutron Single Event Effects
Electromagnetic Pulse (EMP) effects, such as High-Altitude (HEMP), Cable System Generated EMP (SGEMP), ‘Box’ Internal EMP (IEMP)

RADIATION SIMULATION TOOL EXPERTISE

Space and Hostile Radiation & Survivability Environment Calculations: AE9/AP9, OMERE, etc.
Space Radiation Transport Modeling and Shielding Calculations: FASTRAD, MCNP, NOVICE, etc.
Hostile Effect Modeling: MCNP, THTk, SIRE, Redbook, etc.

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Radiation Test Operations (RTO) Laboratory

Discover our comprehensive turnkey test solution, offering diverse capabilities to develop and execute testing tailored to your requirements. Between crafting a test plan to delivering a detailed test report, we cover it all.

In-house test board design and fabrication
Test Bed Development
Automated Test Equipment
In-House Irradiators
Tests in Other Radiation Environments

In-House Test Board Design and Fabrication

Rapid Prototyping and assembly to meet technical expectations and test schedules.

LPKF Milling Machines

Dedicated Board Assembly Services

In-House Board Design and Fabrication
Description	Specification
Altium PCB Design and LPKF S63/S64 Milling Machines	9”x12” Board size 0.059” Copper Thickness 2 Layers only (More complex designs are routed in house and manufactured externally with our established vendors) 1, ½, ¼ Oz board weights

Test Bed Development

Northrop Grumman has access to test equipment that can accommodate any test plan requirements, whether for on-site or off-site testing needs.

man in lab coat

Complex test bed development capable of parallel sample measurements.

Measurements under consistent, controlled hot or cold temperatures.

Laboratory Capacity and Capability
Description	Specification
ESD Laboratories	6600 Sq.Ft of lab space 26 ESD Benches for Test Bed Integration & Test 120V and 220V/30A Service
Thermostream	Temperature range -70°C to +225°C 4” stream area

Automated Test Equipment (ATE)

Standard, repeatable, stable, and accurate electrical characterization capabilities for pre/post-irradiation degradation measurement

man in lab coat

Unites UNIMET2020 ATE

UNIMET 2020 Automated Test Equipment Platform

Description

Specification

Device Types and Package Types

Diodes, Transistors, OpAmps (Dual and Quad), Differential Amps, Comparators, Voltage Regulators, Logic ICs
Dip, Flatpack, Surface Mount, Leaded
600V/100A Max Power

woman in lab coat

NI Semiconductor Test System

NI Semiconductor Test System
Description	Specification
Device Types and Package Types	Voltage Regulators, Voltage Comparators, A/D Converters, Analog Mux, Op-Amps Digital ICs Dip, Flatpack, Surface Mount, Leaded +/-200V / 1µA-3A (DC) / 1µA-10A (Pulse)

man in lab coat

Legacy Analog Devices LTS2020 ATE Platform

Legacy Analog Devices LTS2020 ATE Platform
Description	Specification
Device Types and Package Types	Comparators, OpAmps, Transistors, Diodes, Voltage Regulators Dip, Flatpack, Surface Mount, Leaded

man in lab coat

Legacy HP82000 ATE Platform

Legacy HP82000 ATE Platform
Description	Specification
Device Types and Package Types	Digital ICs Dip, Flatpack, Surface Mount, Leaded 50 MHz Max Data Rate 50V/1A Max Power

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Irradiators

Northrop Grumman offers various irradiators on-site which are accessible for turnkey test campaigns to minimize delays in test execution. Our Co-60 irradiators are available to elicit total dose effects from high dose rates and Enhanced Low-Dose Rate Sensitivity (ELDRS) in electronics, and can service material samples as well. Our Flash X-Ray machine delivers prompt dose simulations essential for hostile survivability investigations. Additionally, you are invited to rent time on these irradiator capabilities, where you may ship your equipment to us and visit our facility to set up your tests for irradiation, while our dedicated test engineering personnel safely operate the irradiators for you.

Irradiators:

Total Dose
High Dose Rate (50-300 Rad(Si)/s)

(2) Gammacell 220 Chamber Irradiators

Low Dose Rate (≤10 mRad(Si)/s)

(1) Gammacell 220 Chamber Irradiator
(1) J.L. Shepherd 142 Chamber Irradiator
(2) NILS Beacon Room Irradiators
(1) Hopewell DS20 Room Irradiator (Expected 2025)

Dose Rate (A.K.A Prompt Dose)
Upset (1E7-1E11+ Rad(Si)/s)

(1) Febetron 705 Flash X-Ray Irradiator (Expected Q4 2024)

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Gammacell 220 High Dose Rate Irradiator

Gammacell 220 Exposure Cavity

Gammacell220 High Dose Rate Irradiator
Description	Specification
Chamber Volume	For Uniform Radiation Distribution: 4”Dx6”H Cylindrical Volume Maximum Chamber Volume: 6”Dx8”H Cylindrical Volume
Dose Rates (as of 1/30/2024)	Gammacell 220 #1: 0.2 Rad(Si)/s Gammacell 220 #3: 135 Rad(Si)/s Gammacell 220 #4: 95 Rad(Si)/s

man in lab coat

J.L. Shepherd 142 Low Dose Rate Irradiator

J.L. Shepherd 142 Low Dose Rate Irradiator
Description	Specification
Chamber Height	For Uniform Radiation Distribution: 7” Maximum Chamber Height: 9”
Chamber arc length at 10mRad(Si)/s (as of 1/30/2024)	360 Degrees 7” from source for 10mRad(Si)/s

man in lab coat

NILS Beacon Low Dose Rate Room Irradiators

NILS Beacon Low Dose Rate Room Irradiators
Description	Specification
Chamber Height	For Uniform Radiation Distribution: 3” Maximum height: 3.75”
Chamber arc length at 10mRad(Si)/s (as of 1/30/2024)	Beacon North Irradiator: 90 Degrees Beacon South Irradiator: 120 Degrees

irradiation room

Hopewell DS20 Low Dose Rate Room Irradiator

Hopewell DS20 Low Dose Rate Room Irradiator (Avail. 2025, Tentative)
Description	Specification
Chamber Capacity	# of Compartments: 64 Maximum Exposure Board Size per Compartment: 8”x11”

man in lab coat

Febetron 705 Flash X-Ray Machine

Febetron 705 Flash X-Ray Machine Faceplate

Febetron 705 Flash X-Ray Machine (Available Q4 2024, Tentative)
Description	Specification
Dose Rates	Minimum: 1.0E7 Rad(Si)/s at 22ns FWHM Maximum: 1.0E11 Rad(Si)/s at 22ns FWHM
Shot Rate	1 every 5 minutes

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Tests in Other Radiation Environments

Our personnel continue to perform test development and execution activities in a variety of radiation environments. When the need arises, count on us to make the appropriate arrangements to meet your requirements and ensure the attainment of your testing objectives.

Additional radiation effects testing we perform includes:

Neutrons

Displacement Damage (1MeV, 2.5MeV, 14MeV)

Gamma Dose Rate (A.K.A Prompt Dose)

Upset + Survival (1E7-1E12+ Rad(Si)/s)

Single Event Effects

Heavy Ions
Protons
Neutrons (Fission or Fusion)
Laser (Single or Dual Photon Absorption)

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Becoming a Customer

Aerospace Services makes it easy to do business with the individual service units, using efficient quoting, contracting, and invoicing processes. Aerospace Services has provided high quality service to many satisfied customers and is committed to delivering a positive customer experience. To get started, contact a specialist to request information on testing and engineering services or request a quotation if you already know what you need. Also see the FAQs for more information.

Contact Us:

E-mail: Radiation Testing
Phone: 310-813-0000

Terms & Conditions

Radiation & Survivability Engineering Datasheet