Properties of electrical insulation at ultrahigh temperatures

THE ERA of high-speed nuclear-propelled aircraft and missiles has brought with it the need for electronic equipment which is both temperature and radiation tolerant. Present temperature and radiation goals as established by the U. S. Air Force for electronic power transformers are 500 C (degrees centigrade) ambient temperature and intense nuclear radiation. These are quite different from the 125 C ambient temperature and no radiation requirements in today's electronic equipment. Major technological advances will have to be made in all phases of electronic design and manufacture to realize these radical environmental changes.