Entry requirements

120 credits in science/engineering, including Electronics I or Analogue Electronics. Proficiency in English equivalent to the Swedish upper secondary course English 6.

Learning outcomes

On completion of the course the student shall be able to:

• give general descriptions of different extreme environments and the challenges they pose for the wide variation in technology that is exposed to them,
• analyze the impact of extreme environments on technology, from component to system level,
• describe the problems that can arise when technology, including electronics, is exposed to extreme environments such as radiation, vibrations, temperature variations and moisture,
• describe and choose adequate ways of countering damage on technology caused by extreme environments, especially space environment,
• characterize the behavior of semiconductor components when they are used in extreme environments,
• analyze advantages and disadvantages of using high-temperature materials for semiconductors, passives and substrates.

Content

Impact of extreme environments on technology, including electronics. Here, extreme refers to environments where, for instance, radiation, pressure, temperature, chemical corrosivity, and/or electromagnetic interference greatly exceed the limit of what ordinary technology, mostly consumer-oriented, is expected to handle. Quality and reliability of technology. Examples from space, industrial environments, the deep sea, the Polar Regions and the human body, with emphasis on the former. Introduction to space technology and space weather with a focus on radiation and temperature. Radiation damage.

Instruction

Lectures, laboratory work and seminars.

Assessment

Written examination at the end of the course (3.5 credits). Written report of laboratory work and written and oral report of seminar assignment, active participation in laboratory work and seminar (1.5 credits).

If there are special reasons for doing so, an examiner may make an exception from the method of assessment indicated and allow a student to be assessed by another method. An example of special reasons might be a certificate regarding special pedagogical support from the disability coordinator of the university.