Introduction

Ionizing radiation affects electronic circuits as well as living beings. Electronics constantly exposed to this kind of radiation eventually malfunction or produce inaccurate results. Critical reliability applications in harsh radiation environments like nuclear power plants, high-energy physics experiments, and space applications require integrated circuits (ICs), and those ICs need to be radiation-hardened to ensure operation without interruptions. Scientists and engineers in the fields of physics and medicine, as well as those working on nuclear power plants and particle accelerators, have spent years studying the consequences of radiation exposure and devising ways to lessen it. This introductory chapter briefly discusses the historical background of ionizing radiation and its effects. The research goal and objectives have also been introduced to the readers in this chapter.