GOVERNMENT funding of £11m will pay for a new scientific instrument at Harwell to test the safety of electronic systems found in aircraft and cars.

The investment was announced by Universities and Science Minister David Willetts in a visit on Monday to the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory.

Scientist Dr Chris Frost said the research was needed because of the mounting problem of electronic systems malfunctioning due to background radiation from outer space known as cosmic rays.

"It can wipe the device's memory. People don't realise at the time that it's caused by cosmic radiation. It's only later that this emerges, and the problem is highlighted.

"The classic example was a voting machine in Belgium in 2003, which recorded 4,096 more votes to one candidate. The radiation had changed the memory of the device."

He added: "As computer systems control more and more of our lives, we are increasingly seeing glitches. Obviously it's very important for critical systems such as aircraft."

The new instrument, ‘Chipir’, will be the first dedicated facility outside the US to look at how silicon microchips respond to cosmic rays.

It will use an intense beam of high-energy particles called neutrons produced by Isis, a set of super microscopes at the Rutherford that enable scientists to study materials at a level 10,000 times thinner than human hair.

The new neutron beam-line will replicate the cosmic radiation affecting microchips from 100 years of flying time in the space of an hour.

Mr Willetts said: “Isis is one of the UK’s major scientific achievements. It supports an international community of 2,000 scientists including physicists, biologists, engineers and geologists and helps us learn more about the material world.

“This new beam line will enable scientists to test the very systems that we rely on the most — the electronic components that keep planes in the air and make sure car airbags deploy at the right time.

"Chipir will be the world’s best facility for screening microchips with neutrons, leading to safer, more reliable electronic systems and encouraging leading scientists and manufacturers to do their research in the UK.”

Dr Frost said: “I have been working with colleagues from UK and European industry over the last few years to study the huge impact that cosmic ray neutrons can have on the operation and reliability of modern electronics.”

Mr Willetts also met scientists, engineers and industrial partners at Diamond Light Source, the UK’s national synchrotron facility, and formally inaugurated Diamond’s Phase III development. At Diamond’s engineering and environment village, he met scientists from Rolls Royce and Infineum UK working on coatings for aircraft fan blades, and improved fuels and catalysts.