ABSTRACT
Electronic systems used in nuclear power plants, spacecraft, high-energy physics experiments, advanced medical equipment, and nuclear weapons have the potential for exposure of semiconductor devices and integrated circuits (ICs) to extreme environments. x-rays, gamma rays, high-energy electrons and protons, neutrons, and cosmic ray ions all affect the operation of semiconductor electronics and lead to effects that can vary from graceful degradation of operating characteristics to catastrophic failure. This chapter introduces some of the basic concepts of the interaction of radiation with semiconductor devices.
