A way to erase OTP components?

From: Bob Shannon <bshannon_at_tiac.net>
Date: Wed Jan 22 17:08:01 2003

X-rays will erase the part at high energy levels, but this will also
degrade the part to the point where it
will fail soon, or die during erasure.

Arno Kletzander wrote:

>Hello everybody, this is something I've been wondering about for some time
>now. Perhaps here is the place to ask, since it's about one of the "inner
>secrets of silicon":
>
>Tony Duell wrote:
>
>>The 8751 is the EPROM version of the 8051 microcontroller. It's otherwise
>>identical to it.
>>
>>If it's in a ceramic package with a quartz window, then you can erase it
>>like any other EPROM and reprogram it. If it's in the plastic package,
>>then it's the OTP version.
>>
>
>If in fact the same die was used in both components, then it's only the
>plastic (which is impenetrable to the commonly-used ultra-violet light) that
>prevents the OTP variant from being erased and reprogrammed.
>
>However, there are kinds of radiation similar to light which *will*
>penetrate the plastic housing...you see where this goes? Will the memory be erased
>when you, say, X-ray the OTP component, will it stay unaffected, or is the
>thing just going to die?
>
>(just outta curiosity)
>
>Arno Kletzander
>
Received on Wed Jan 22 2003 - 17:08:01 GMT