Radiation hardness of COTS EPROMs and E²PROMs

Abstract

This paper examines and compares the effects of exposing commercial, off the shelf erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM) and electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (E²PROM) components to gamma rays. Results obtained for CMOS-based EPROM (NM27C010) and E²PROM (NM93CS46) components provide evidence that EPROMs have a greater radiation hardness than E²PROMs. Moreover, the changes in EPROMs are reversible, and after erasure and reprogramming all EPROM components restore their functionality. On the other hand, changes in E²PROMs are irreversible. The obtained results are analyzed and interpreted on the basis of gamma ray interaction with the CMOS structure.

Keywords:

• EPROM
• E²PROM
• gamma rays
• radiation effects
• radiation hardness
• MOS

Acknowledgements

The Ministry of Science and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Serbia supported this work under contract no. 141046.