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.