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Thanks for your quick responses to my query re airport security x-ray. Sounds to be very low risk -- but with enough anecdotal evidence that I tried to find some possible explanation. Did find a possibility on a forum at flexbeta.net:
"...The reason why it is implausible, but not impossible that chips are damaged by X-Ray's is the following:
Chips are creating with a technique called 'Laser-guided etching'
This technique involves a light-sensitive sort of goo that is spread thinly on a main-board. Then, a mask is applied and a high intensity laser beam etches the pattern, because the light-sensitive goo will react to the light and harden and will also become conductive.
This way, a lot of layers can be created, by adding non-conductive layers, which are etched there where there is NO connection wanted, and another layer of conductive goo is applied, which then offcourse will connect at the places where there is no non-conductive goo, you get the point I hope.
This goo is usually rinsed off very very very thorough, but despite that, sometimes (a 1-in-a-million chance) some conductive goo will stay on the board, without being lasered, thus won't be conductive, but will become conductive when exposed to a high enough dose of light/electromagnetic energy (light is a form of electro-magnetic energy)
The chances, even when there's goo residu in your chip, of X-Ray etching this residue is very tiny, but it is possible.
If this might happen, the chances of the card working after this kind of accident is very small though, because the newly etched goo will basically shortwire your chips..." [Sphere's post].
Thoughts?
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