Neutron irradiation assessment of an Inertial Measurement Unit

The experiment presented in this paper involves the irradiation of an enhanced Inertial Measurement Unit developed by Northrop Grumman Italia and designed for avionics and space applications. The employment of this device at avionic altitudes prompted a necessary evaluation of its suitability and operation in a radiation environment characterized by atmospheric neutrons, particles that can lead to malfunctioning in microelectronics operation through single event effects. The results indicate that atmospheric neutron exposure does not significantly impact the long-term performance of the device, whose functionality remains recoverable. Reliability metrics such as cross-sections and failure in time are derived to assess error frequency and support mitigation strategies for avionics and space applications. The results indicate that velocity measurements are the most susceptible parameter, with a FIT of 209, whereas rotation angles and accelerations are more resilient, exhibiting FIT values of 182 and 173, respectively.