Patent ID: 6982883

Claim:
A radiation tolerant electrical component for providing controlled electrical response in radiation-intensive applications, the component comprising: an input line; an output line; a drive circuit, the drive circuit capable of transmitting a negative gate drive signal; a non-hardened p-channel FET having a drain, a gate, and a source, the FET having a negative initial threshold voltage; an isolation circuit; and an output rectification circuit; wherein: the input line is operably connected to the drive circuit; the drive circuit is operably connected to the gate; the source and gate are operably connected to the output rectification circuit; the output rectification circuit is operably connected to the output line; the isolation circuit is operably connected between the output line and the drive circuit to isolate the input line from the output line; and the drain is connected near ground, whereby, when operating the electrical component in a radiation-intensive environment, the FET should operate at close to its maximum gate voltage signal thereby allowing the FET to function across a high range of radiation exposure, and whereby, when operating the electrical component in a radiation-intensive environment, the FET remains controllable even if the FET operates below its maximum gate voltage.