Burnout of Power MOS Transistors with Heavy Ions of Californium-252

Experiments have been conducted to determine the burnout susceptibility of power MOSFET devices exposed to heavy ions from a Californium-252 source. This report documents the results of the first single event burnout tests performed on n-channel enhancement mode power MOSFETs. Presented are, the test method, test results, a description of an observed latched current and a discussion of a possible failure mechanism. The test results include the observed dependence upon applied drain to source bias and variation in burnout susceptibility for various manufacturers of power MOSFETs.