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 for predicting the first cell to fail in an array of EPROM memory cells exposed 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 with processing variations apparently dominating fluctuations in absorbed dose. The method is applied to the ground controls of UVPROMs flown on MPTB. These procedures can be used to screen devices for flight parts. Power-law dependence between the rate of electrons leaving the floating gate and the absorbed dose is observed, and it may explain the SEU immunity observed in EPROM memory cells flown in space.