Hi Bob,

Thought you may find this "blast from the past" of interest...

This discussion came up on the Microchip BBS way back in 1993/1994 (actually
it came up many times -- it was like an old penny that kept returning).
Check out the comments (regarding heat damaging chips, not UV itself) from
Stan D'Souza from Microchip Technology:


Date: Monday, December 20, 1993  9:11pm                            /APPLICN
From: Sdsouza                                                   Msg#: 15751
  To: Colonel
  Re: UV DESTROYS!
      (Reply to #15701)

Colonel,

How warm or rather hot were the parts when you put them in the eraser
for 3 days. Heat does more damage than UV light to any silicon device. I
suggest a review of Millman's Microelectronics should explain what is
happening after all if we only concluded by what we observe, then we
could walk off the edge of the  earth.

-Stan.


Date: Thursday, February 17, 1994  8:13pm                          /APPLICN
From: Sdsouza                                                   Msg#: 24178
  To: Kenmun
  Re: Overdose on UV?
      (Reply to #19395)
Ken,

I wish everyone would quit the quotes and counter quotes and pick up a
good device Physics book instead. I am sorry that it would not be
possible to explain Semiconductor 101 in this message, but there is no
way in hell you could over-erase a part. So is Intel Full of &$@#, no.
However I would like some one to pick up a device which has been exposed
to 7500Wsec/cm2. Temperature can really kill a part and I don't think
any one can argue that point. SInce UV light does generate heat, there
is a correlation to erasing and eventual life of the part and that is
why most eproms fail after approx 100 erase/write cycles.

I hope I've managed to confuse the issue one more time!!!

-Stan.

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