39th Annual International Nuclear and Space Radiation Effects Conference

Phoenix, Arizona
July 15-19, 2002

As General Chairman it is my pleasure to invite you to attend the 39th Annual International Conference on Nuclear and Space Radiation Effects (NSREC) to be held July 15-19, 2002 at the Pointe South Mountain Resort in Phoenix, Arizona. As with previous NSRE Conferences, 2002 will offer an outstanding technical program, a one-day Short Course preceding the technical program, a Radiation Effects Data Workshop, and an Industrial Exhibit. We welcome attendance by engineers, scientists, managers and other interested persons from throughout the world. Highlights of the conference are given below. You can also access this information at www.nsrec.com.

The 2002 IEEE NSREC will be held at the Pointe South Mountain Resort. The Pointe South Mountain Resort is the largest all-suite resort in the American Southwest with ideal conference meeting space for the NSREC. Located adjacent to the South Mountain Park and ten miles from the Phoenix Sky Harbor airport, the Pointe has many scenic courtyards, six swimming pools, a large spa and fitness center, and world-class tennis and golf facilities.

The conference is sponsored by the IEEE/Nuclear and Plasma Science Society Radiation Effects Committee and supported by the Defense Threat Reduction Agency, Sandia National Laboratories, Air Force Research Laboratory, NASA Electronic Parts and Packaging Program.

Attendees will have the opportunity to participate in a one-day Short Course on Monday, July 15. A Short Course is offered each year and is intended to provide newcomers with an overview and in-depth study of timely and significant issues in the radiation effects field and for updating and refreshing the knowledge of experienced workers. The 2002 Short Course, organized by Paul Dressendorfer (Sandia National Laboratories), titled “Radiation Effects - From Particles to Payloads,” is a cohesive set of talks on the issues of concern for satellite systems.

Joe Mazur, The Aerospace Corporation, will set the stage with his presentation “The Radiation Environment Outside and Inside a Spacecraft.” He will illustrate the hazards that exist and their impact on space systems.

Dr. Jim Schwank from Sandia National Laboratories will present “Total Dose Effects in MOS Devices.” He will first provide an overview of the basics of radiation damage. This background will lead into a more detailed discussion of the limitations and issues for device response, including concerns for advanced technologies.

Next, Dr. Todd Weatherford, U.S. Naval Postgraduate School, will present the segment “From Carriers to Contacts, a Review of SEE Charge Collection Processes.” Single Event Effects are a major concern for satellite electronics and Dr. Weatherford will cover this important area. This session will examine the process from ionization to photocurrents.

Dr. Christian Poivey, NASA Goddard, will conclude the Short Course with “Radiation Hardness Assurance for Space Systems.” This will tie together the earlier talks in a discussion of how one assures a satellite system will work in the space environment.

For those interested in Continuing Education Units (CEUs), there will be an open-book test at the end of the course. The course is valued at 0.6 CEUs and endorsed by the IEEE and the International Association for Education and Training.

All Short Course attendees will receive a CD of the 1980-2002 IEEE NSREC Short Course presentations.

The Technical Program Chairman, Tom Turflinger (NAVSEA Crane) and his program committee have put together an outstanding set of contributed papers that have been organized into ten sessions of 53 oral and 41 poster presentations and a Radiation Effects Data Workshop. The Workshop consists of 27 papers emphasizing radiation effects data on electronic devices and systems, and descriptions of new simulation and radiation test facilities. In addition, there are three outstanding invited talks that should be of general interest to attendees and their companions. All will be presented over the next four days of the Conference as a single track.

Radiation damage has been studied extensively in the frame of electronics. It is also a subject of elaborate investigations in the context of semiconductor detectors. This is the case in the context of particle physics where detectors have to withstand the harsh radiation environment of high luminosity particle colliders. Radiation damage at much lower dose is of relevance in space based X-ray observatories where detectors are exposed to cosmic radiation and in particular to the radiation belt. This high vulnerability, with respect to radiation, is due to the sophisticated structures of the detectors which have to provide simultaneously precision images and spectral information. The mechanisms responsible for deterioration of detector properties differ in many ways from those being important in electronic devices. Thus the methods of improving radiation hardness of detectors also deviate from those used in electronics. On Wednesday, July 17, Dr. Lutz, Max Planck Institut-Halbleiterlabor, will review the mechanisms of radiation damage in silicon radiation detectors.

On Thursday, July 18, Dr. Soroosh Sorooshian, University of Arizona, will speak on the effective management of water resources in today’s world, particularly in the arid and semi-arid regions of the world, which constitute nearly 1/3 of the world’s land mass. Three issues place special stress and added uncertainties on water resources in semi-arid regions. The first issue is the rapid population growth in almost all of the semi-arid regions of the world. The second issue is the impact of prosperity on per capita water consumption rates. The third complication arises from the additional uncertainty resulting from global climate change and, hence, the potential intensification of the hydrologic cycle. Therefore, there is no doubt that both population growth and climate variability will have a great impact on regional water resources and the way they should be managed.

On Friday, July 19, Carl Walz, U.S.Air Force officer and career astronaut, will describe “Living and Working in Space”, his experiences on four previous space missions and as a member on the most recent International Space Station (ISS) crew. He will discuss his intensive training in Russia and the U.S., the mission itself and the recovery process after more than 5 months in space. We will have a unique opportunity to learn the latest status of the Station and the growing understanding of man’s place in space.

Starting at noon on Tuesday, July 16, this year’s Industrial Exhibit, organized by Chuck Tabbert (Peregrine Semiconductor) will provide an opportunity for conference attendees to discuss the latest radiation-resistant electronics, radiation analysis and testing equipment and facilities, and hardware and software simulation products and services. An Industrial Exhibits Reception will occur on Tuesday evening. Exhibitors include:

Social events have been planned to give Conference attendees and their guests opportunities to informally discuss radiation effects and to become better acquainted. Jeff Black, (Mission Research Corporation), this year’s Local Arrangements Chairman, has put together a terrific social program. The highlight of the program will be the Wednesday evening social where attendees and their companions will have the opportunity to visit the Corona Ranch for an evening filled with food, friends and a Mexican Rodeo. We strongly encourage you to register as early as possible for the social events as we are limited in the numbers we can accommodate. Please visit to view the activities and obtain the registration forms.

Please call the Pointe South Mountain Resort at +1 602 438-9000 (Toll-Free: +1 877 800-4888) and ask for the “IEEE NSREC” block of rooms. Reservations must be guaranteed. The cut-off date for room reservations is June 11, 2002. After that date, room accommodations will be confirmed on a space available basis and the conference room rate is not guaranteed.

For the latest NSREC information (technical program, conference & social registration forms, hotel and travel information, etc.) please visit our web site at www.nsrec.com.

You may also contact me at: Ken Hunt, Air Force Research Laboratory, Kirtland AFB, NM 87117; Phone: +1 505 846-4959; E-mail: ken.hunt@kirtland.af.mil.

Or you can contact the Publicity Chairwoman, Teresa Farris, Aeroflex UTMC, 4350 Centennial Blvd., Colorado. Springs., CO 80907; Phone: +1 719 594-8035; Fax +1 719 594-8468; E-mail: teresa.farris@utmc.aeroflex.com.