Radiation induced replacement currents in a plated wire memory

We report the results of a study of the replacement currents generated in elements of a conventional plated-wire memory during irradiation by low energy (20–100 keV) photons. Measurements are analytically discussed in terms of IEMP induced-charge calculations and, for an air environment, ionized gas kinetics. It is experimentally demonstrated that the peak induced digit wire currents (per unit flux) can be reduced by at least a factor of 10 when the memory tunnel structure is filled with a dielectric oil.