Memory irradiation measurements for the European SMART-1 spacecraft

Three different types of memory circuits, that are intended to be used on board of the European satellite SMART-1, have been radiation hardness tested according to ESA's specification. Since the satellite is equipped with an electric propulsion engine, the spacecraft will be exposed to radiation during a long time when passing the radiation belt of the Earth. A standard DRAM circuit from SAMSUNG will serve as building block of the mass memory of SMART-1, and has been tested for total dose and proton induced single event upset (SEU). The DRAM memory showed surprisingly good resistance against radiation. The proton SEU cross sections for the radiation tolerant SRAM and FIFO circuits have also…