Radiation effects in GaAs FET devices

The effects that space and nuclear radiation have on GaAs devices utilized for integrated circuit design are reviewed. The hardness capability of contemporary GaAs devices and logic circuits is presented in terms of four major nuclear and space radiation threat categories: total dose effects, dose rate effects, single particle phenomena, and neutron effects. The experimental test data and theoretical analyses presented demonstrate the tolerance of GaAs discrete JFETs and MESFETs and planar integrated circuits to fast neutron and ionizing radiation, under both transient and cumulative conditions.