ABSTRACT
In extreme environments, as expected in earth orbit, exploratory space, or even in the specialized environments of nuclear reactors or nuclear weapons, microelectronic circuitry must endure a host of radiation hazards, including exposure to electromagnetic radiation in the form of ionizing gamma- and x-rays, as well as exposure to highly energetic particles from a variety of sources: cosmic, solar, and terrestrial. In terms of the latter, even microelectronics operating in the not-so-extreme environment of a home or office * are exposed to irradiation from natural sources [1–7].
