First failure predictions for EPROMs of the type flown on the MPTB satellite

Extreme value analysis applied to ground test data provides a new method fo r predicting the first cell to fail in an array of EPROM memory cells expos ed to ionizing radiation. Which cell fails first is a function of the dose absorbed by each as well as the cell-to-cell variations in manufacturing wi th processing variations apparently dominating fluctuations in absorbed dos e, The method is applied to the ground controls of UVPROMs flown on MPTB. T hese procedures can be used to screen devices for flight parts. Power-law d ependence between the rate of electrons leaving the floating gate and the a bsorbed dose is observed, and it may explain the SEU immunity observed in E PROM memory cells flown in space.