NCR is a global computer hardware and electronics company best known for its ATM machines. It als... more NCR is a global computer hardware and electronics company best known for its ATM machines. It also designs and manufactures self-service kiosks, point-of-sale terminals, check processing systems, barcode scanners, and business consumables. NCR has had a presence in Dundee for many years, with the facility now focussed on research and development.
R apid prototyping (R P) technologies that have emerged over the last 15 years are all based on t... more R apid prototyping (R P) technologies that have emerged over the last 15 years are all based on the principle of creating three-dimensional geometries directly from computer aided design (CAD ) by stacking two-dimensional pro les on top of each other. To date most R P parts are used for prototyping or tooling purposes; however, in future the majority may be produced as end-use products. The term 'rapid manufacturing' in this context uses R P technologies as processes for the production of end-use products.
In this paper the basic challenges that nuclear robot designers have to face, are described. A br... more In this paper the basic challenges that nuclear robot designers have to face, are described. A brief analysis of the radioactive environment as well as the teleoperated applications occurring in a power plant, are used to produce an overview of the hazardous robotic environment. The components used by nuclear robotics, their behaviour in the ionizing environment and the solution provided by current methods, are presented.
The reliability of a robot for nuclear applications will be affected by environmental factors suc... more The reliability of a robot for nuclear applications will be affected by environmental factors such as dust, water, vibrations, heat, and, in particular, ionising radiation. The present report describes the work carried out in a project addressing the reliability and radiation tolerance of such robots.
If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emeral... more If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information.
A comprehensive cobalt60, proton and heavy ion evaluation of the Fillfactory STAR-250 CMOS active... more A comprehensive cobalt60, proton and heavy ion evaluation of the Fillfactory STAR-250 CMOS active pixel sensor has been performed for space applications up to 100 krd(Si). It was possible to eliminate image lag by adjustment of the bias voltage and this allowed a reduction in proton-induced dark signal. Both cobalt60 and proton irradiation produced a decrease in responsivity, which is thought to be due to total dose effects. There was also an increase in photoresponse nonuniformity (PRNU). No major single event effects (latch-up or functional interrupt) where seen at the maximum LET of 68 MeV/(mg/ cm 2 ).
Nuclear decommissioning involves the characterisation of hazardous and contaminated environments.... more Nuclear decommissioning involves the characterisation of hazardous and contaminated environments. Robot characterisation systems have been developed to reduce the risk to human operatives, however their efficiency is limited. Coming decades will see a substantial increase in decommissioning globally as a large number of nuclear facilities are due to reach the end of their useful life. It is desirable that robot characterisation systems meet this increase in demand by becoming more efficient. This paper describes an architecture that makes use of advances in computer science including mobile agent technology, which we believe will offer improved efficiency over existing robot characterisation systems.
An ionizing radiation-tolerant CMOS active pixel sensor (APS) image sensor test chip was designed... more An ionizing radiation-tolerant CMOS active pixel sensor (APS) image sensor test chip was designed employing the physical design techniques of enclosed geometry and -channel guard rings. The test chip was fabricated in a standard 0.35-m CMOS process that has a gate-oxide thickness of 7.0 nm. It was irradiated by a -ray source up to a total ionizing radiation dose level of approximately 30 Mrd (Si) and was still functional. The most pronounced effect was the increase of dark current, which was linear with total dose level. The rate of dark current increase was about 1 to 2 pA/cm 2 /Krd (Si), depending on the design of the pixel. The results demonstrate that CMOS APS image sensors can be designed to be ionizing radiation tolerant to total dose levels up to 30 Mrd (Si). The fabrication process is standard CMOS, yielding a significant cost advantage over specialized radiation hard processes.
NCR is a global computer hardware and electronics company best known for its ATM machines. It als... more NCR is a global computer hardware and electronics company best known for its ATM machines. It also designs and manufactures self-service kiosks, point-of-sale terminals, check processing systems, barcode scanners, and business consumables. NCR has had a presence in Dundee for many years, with the facility now focussed on research and development.
R apid prototyping (R P) technologies that have emerged over the last 15 years are all based on t... more R apid prototyping (R P) technologies that have emerged over the last 15 years are all based on the principle of creating three-dimensional geometries directly from computer aided design (CAD ) by stacking two-dimensional pro les on top of each other. To date most R P parts are used for prototyping or tooling purposes; however, in future the majority may be produced as end-use products. The term 'rapid manufacturing' in this context uses R P technologies as processes for the production of end-use products.
In this paper the basic challenges that nuclear robot designers have to face, are described. A br... more In this paper the basic challenges that nuclear robot designers have to face, are described. A brief analysis of the radioactive environment as well as the teleoperated applications occurring in a power plant, are used to produce an overview of the hazardous robotic environment. The components used by nuclear robotics, their behaviour in the ionizing environment and the solution provided by current methods, are presented.
The reliability of a robot for nuclear applications will be affected by environmental factors suc... more The reliability of a robot for nuclear applications will be affected by environmental factors such as dust, water, vibrations, heat, and, in particular, ionising radiation. The present report describes the work carried out in a project addressing the reliability and radiation tolerance of such robots.
If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emeral... more If you would like to write for this, or any other Emerald publication, then please use our Emerald for Authors service information about how to choose which publication to write for and submission guidelines are available for all. Please visit www.emeraldinsight.com/authors for more information.
A comprehensive cobalt60, proton and heavy ion evaluation of the Fillfactory STAR-250 CMOS active... more A comprehensive cobalt60, proton and heavy ion evaluation of the Fillfactory STAR-250 CMOS active pixel sensor has been performed for space applications up to 100 krd(Si). It was possible to eliminate image lag by adjustment of the bias voltage and this allowed a reduction in proton-induced dark signal. Both cobalt60 and proton irradiation produced a decrease in responsivity, which is thought to be due to total dose effects. There was also an increase in photoresponse nonuniformity (PRNU). No major single event effects (latch-up or functional interrupt) where seen at the maximum LET of 68 MeV/(mg/ cm 2 ).
Nuclear decommissioning involves the characterisation of hazardous and contaminated environments.... more Nuclear decommissioning involves the characterisation of hazardous and contaminated environments. Robot characterisation systems have been developed to reduce the risk to human operatives, however their efficiency is limited. Coming decades will see a substantial increase in decommissioning globally as a large number of nuclear facilities are due to reach the end of their useful life. It is desirable that robot characterisation systems meet this increase in demand by becoming more efficient. This paper describes an architecture that makes use of advances in computer science including mobile agent technology, which we believe will offer improved efficiency over existing robot characterisation systems.
An ionizing radiation-tolerant CMOS active pixel sensor (APS) image sensor test chip was designed... more An ionizing radiation-tolerant CMOS active pixel sensor (APS) image sensor test chip was designed employing the physical design techniques of enclosed geometry and -channel guard rings. The test chip was fabricated in a standard 0.35-m CMOS process that has a gate-oxide thickness of 7.0 nm. It was irradiated by a -ray source up to a total ionizing radiation dose level of approximately 30 Mrd (Si) and was still functional. The most pronounced effect was the increase of dark current, which was linear with total dose level. The rate of dark current increase was about 1 to 2 pA/cm 2 /Krd (Si), depending on the design of the pixel. The results demonstrate that CMOS APS image sensors can be designed to be ionizing radiation tolerant to total dose levels up to 30 Mrd (Si). The fabrication process is standard CMOS, yielding a significant cost advantage over specialized radiation hard processes.
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