"AI Computation Possible in Space"...First Verification of Radiation-Tolerant AI Semiconductor

Maintaining IGZO-Based Synaptic Device Performance
A Milestone in Securing Core AI Semiconductor Technology for Space Applications

A semiconductor device for artificial intelligence (AI) that operates normally even in a space radiation environment has been verified for the first time by a domestic research team. This achievement demonstrates the potential to secure 'radiation-hardened semiconductor' technology, which is essential for satellite and space exploration fields, and is expected to serve as a significant turning point in establishing a foundation for self-reliant AI systems for space applications.

The Ministry of Science and ICT and the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute announced on March 19 that a joint team from the Advanced Radiation Technology Institute at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute, Professor Byungjin Cho’s group at Chungbuk National University, and the team led by Dr. Taejin Yoo at IMEC, a world-leading semiconductor research institute in Belgium, have succeeded in the world’s first verification of the performance of a next-generation AI semiconductor device that operates stably in a space radiation environment.

Schematic Diagram of Recognition Rate Verification after Proton Irradiation of Neuromorphic Semiconductor for Aerospace. Provided by the research team

"Operates Even After 20 Years of Space Radiation"…Neuromorphic Performance Maintained

With the recent expansion of space exploration, the need for semiconductors capable of reliably processing AI and big data under extreme radiation environments has grown. The research team fabricated and verified the performance of a “synaptic transistor,” which mimics the synapses of the human brain, using indium-gallium-zinc oxide (IGZO), a next-generation semiconductor material.

The team used the proton accelerator at the Korea Atomic Energy Research Institute to irradiate the devices with a 33 MeV high-energy proton beam, which corresponds to over 20 years of space radiation exposure for a low Earth orbit satellite. The experiment showed some decrease in current, but the core switching operation of the semiconductor and synaptic plasticity were stably maintained.

AI Computation Accuracy Maintained at 92%…Demonstrates Potential for Space Applications

The evaluation of actual AI computational performance in a radiation environment also yielded positive results. In neuromorphic computing simulations based on the MNIST handwritten digit image dataset, the system achieved a high recognition accuracy of 92.61%. In addition, the research team demonstrated 4-bit computational capability using a reservoir computing system, which is employed for time-series data processing.

The research team explained that these results show IGZO-based synaptic devices can be utilized for neuromorphic computing systems even in extreme environments. Going forward, they plan to further advance the technology to reduce performance degradation and expand their research to circuit-level verification.

This study was supported by the Ministry of Science and ICT’s 'Radiation-Hardened National Strategic Semiconductor Core Technology Development Project' and the Basic Research Laboratory Support Project. The results were published in the March issue of the international journal "Materials Science in Semiconductor Processing."

Oh Daehyun, Director of Future Strategy Technology Policy at the Ministry of Science and ICT, stated, "This achievement demonstrates that AI systems can operate normally even in extreme environments such as space," adding, "We will continue to support the development of core source technologies for AI semiconductors for aerospace applications."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.