Total dose effects on power-MOSFET switching converters

Power MOSFETs have important applications in space systems; particularly in dc/dc power conversion. Transistors used in the space environment are subj ect to the effects of exposure to the natural radiation environment in spac e. Among the effects of ionizing radiation are shifts in threshold voltage and reduction of carrier mobility. In this work, the total-ionizing-dose-in duced degradation of two switching power converters is examined. The MOSFET s for two switching converters were irradiated with a Co-60 source and thei r performance was evaluated in buck and boost converters. The experimental results agree well with values obtained from SPICE simulations. (C) 1998 El sevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.