METHODS OF PREDICTING THE PERFORMANCE OF SEMICONDUCTOR ELECTRONIC CIRCUITS AND SYSTEMS IN A NUCLEAR ENVIRONMENT

Abstract

The performance of electronic circuits and systems in a radiation environment can be determined if the radiation induced component changes are known and if system performance as a function of component changes can be determined. The most economical way of determining alterations of system performance caused by radiation combines analysis with an experimental technique intended for laboratory use. The analytical method requires that the performance of the system be expressed mathematically in terms of component performance. These equations are then solved using component parameters appropriate to discrete radiation levels. This approach also can be used to determine the probability of system failure as a function of radiation exposure. The experimental technique involves measuring system performance after substituting radiation-degraded components into it. Although this latter technique only yields the radiation levels for zero and 100% probability of failure, it is a simple and powerful tool. Exposing a system to radiation in order to determine failure levels or failure probabilities is not practical because the large variations normally encountered in semiconductor device parameters may cause failure to occur over a large range of radiation exposure levels. Therefore, a few observations on a specific system are not a reasonable basis for predicting radiation performance of similar systems. (auth)