Functional and parametric degradation of microcircuits due to total ionizing dose (TID) creates significant obstacles to the deployment of critical state of the-art technologies in space missions. Moreover, since device dielectrics in which such degradation occurs vary from one fabrication lot to the next, these effects must be re-evaluated on a lot-by-lot basis. Space mission designers are moving toward smaller, cheaper designs that reduce system-level shielding and consequently, limit the lifetimes of the space missions. Currently, mission radiation reliability requirements are achieved by shielding the electronics box and/or by the shielding on the satellite or spacecraft in conjunction with the use of radiation-hardened electronics. However, space missions are targeting more radiation-harsh environments thereby demanding improved shielding techniques. For example, vulnerable components typically require shielding over 4 pi-steradians. Often, the most effective mitigation against total ionizing dose (TID) degradation is the addition of radiation shielding to the electronics box. Unfortunately, shielding materials can add significant mass to a system. One conventional method for reducing additional mass to the system is to apply spot shielding in the form of cover plates only on the critical components that require shielding. This conventional method provides limited shielding because of the omnidirectional natural radiation environment in space. However, reducing radiation shielding for the electronics box and/or reducing spacecraft-level shielding will necessitate more complex spot shielding to protect the components from the omnidirectional radiation environment. Such complex spot shielding entails complex patterned designs that require labor-intensive machining of complex metal designs and time-consuming installation. Furthermore, the shielding effectiveness of such complex patterned designs must be verified with three-dimensional ray-trace analysis. Small package sizes make component-level shielding fabrication even more challenging.
What is needed is a method for forming a component-level radiation shield that eliminates the problems and disadvantages associated with the aforementioned conventional practices.