Analysis of the Radiation Field Generated by 200-MeV Electrons on a Target at the CLEAR Accelerator at CERN

The radiation showers generated by the interaction of high-energy electrons with matter include neutrons with an energy distribution peaked at the MeV scale, produced via photonuclear reactions, allowing measurements of neutron-induced single-event effects (SEEs) in electronic devices. In this work, we study a setup where the 200-MeV electron beam of the CLEAR accelerator at European Organization for Nuclear Research [Centre Européen pour la Recherche Nucléaire (CERN)] is directed on an aluminum target to produce a radiation field with a large neutron component. The resulting environment is analyzed by measuring the single-event upset (SEU) and latchup rates in well-characterized static random access memories (SRAMs), as well as the total ionizing dose (TID) in passive radio-photoluminescence (RPL) dosimeters, and by comparing the results with predictions from FLUKA simulations. We find that a lateral shielding made of lead protects the SRAMs from an excessive TID rate, yielding an optimal configuration for SEU measurements, particularly in SRAMs that are highly sensitive to MeV-scale neutrons. This setup provides an interesting complementary neutron source with respect to standard neutron facilities based on spallation targets or radioactive sources.