Nanoscale Vacuum Electronics: Back to the Future?

Monday, February 3, 2020 - 14:20 in Physics & Chemistry

This blog post originated in the 2018 Science Mission Directorate Science and Technology Report. PROJECT Nanoscale vacuum channel transistor (NVCT) KEY POINTS To help protect future space assets from dangerous effects that arise from radiation exposure, NASA is developing a new series of vacuum electronics that are ultra-small, easy to manufacture, and immune to radiation damage. The nanoscale vacuum channel transistor (NVCT) team in the lab at NASA Ames. From left to right: Dong-il Moon, Meyya Meyyappan, and Jin-Woo Han. All space missions face a high risk of radiation-induced damage to electronics. Unfortunately, the current strategies employed to limit radiation exposure all introduce various mission constraints. NASA is exploring use of an “old school” technology—vacuum electronics—combined with modern techniques to protect the Agency’s important space assets without restricting mission parameters. NASA implements various strategies to avoid radiation impacts to missions including: (1) limiting the flight and exploration path to minimize radiation exposure, (2) use of radiation shielding based...

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