As part of the early development for NASA's Mars Laser Communication Demonstration (now canceled), we exposed
two InGaAs focal plane arrays (FPAs) to 22 krad(Si) dose at a rate of 4.6 rad(Si)/s using a 60Co gamma-ray source. Both
the SU320MS from Sensors Unlimited and the ISC9809 from FLIR Systems, Inc. operated throughout the test. The FPA
electronics were shielded from radiation; only the photosensitive InGaAs and its readout integrated circuit (ROIC) were
exposed. Background levels on both FPAs increased during the test. The SU320MS saturated and failed to respond to
infrared light after the test. The ISC9809's background increased but did not saturate. Phenomena exhibited during the
test included both isolated single-pixel hits and increased mean over the full FPA. Tests of the ISC9809 after irradiation
indicate no change in gain but an increase in mean dark current. In addition, 91% of the ISC9809 pixels also had
increased temporal noise. As a result of these tests, the ISC9809 was chosen for flight, but shielding was added to reduce
the level seen by the FPA to an estimated 6 krad(Si) for a 10-year lifetime in Mars orbit.
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