Radiation effects in analogue to digital converters

The data presented in this thesis is part of a wider programme to test Analogue to Digital Converters (ADC's) for radiation induced transient upset events. This work was carried out in collaboration with The Mullard Space Science Laboratory University College London, Sira Ltd, and The European Space Research and Technology Centre (ESTEC), Holland. The Universite Catholique de Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium has also supported this research by providing access to its CYCLONE irradiation facility. Although there has been considerable interest in recent years on single event effects (SEE) in logic devices such as memories and processors, relatively little has been published on SEE in small signal analogue or mixed signal devices. However this is a subject of increasing interest as the trend for higher performance in space borne instruments leads to the use of faster and more precise signal processing electronics. This thesis presents the results of irradiation tests carried out on 12 and 16 bit ADC's. These devices have been tested with 252Cf fission fragments as a prelude to comprehensive heavy ion testing at the CYCLONE irradiation facility, Belgium. These investigations have been used to commission the test equipment, to identify the type of events that can occur, to establish a saturation event cross section and a threshold LET for each device tested and, to enable predictions of event rates for the space environment