A comparison between 60Co ground tests and CRRES space flight data

The authors present results of microelectronic device degradation due to total dose as measured on the Combined Release and Radiation Effects Satellite (CRRES). The on-orbit device performance is compared to MIL-STD-883 Method 1019.2 ⁶⁰Co ground test performance on like devices. Although experimental factors introduce uncertainties. the comparisons show that space degradation reasonably matches high dose rate ⁶⁰Co testing for many part types, while other part types show significant differences. However, even where differences exist, the degradation is within a factor of three between the space and ground tested parts. Due to the vintage of the parts flown and the unexpectedly short duration of the mission, the space results do not provide a basis for evaluating the changes incorporated into the new MIL-STD-883 Method 1019.4 which addresses dose rate effects in more detail