scholarly journals Low-Power, Subthreshold Reference Circuits for the Space Environment: Evaluated with γ-rays, X-rays, Protons and Heavy Ions

Electronics ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (5) ◽  
pp. 562 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charalambos M. Andreou ◽  
Diego Miguel González-Castaño ◽  
Simone Gerardin ◽  
Marta Bagatin ◽  
Faustino Gómez Rodriguez ◽  
...  

The radiation tolerance of subthreshold reference circuits for space microelectronics is presented. The assessment is supported by measured results of total ionization dose and single event transient radiation-induced effects under γ -rays, X-rays, protons and heavy ions (silicon, krypton and xenon). A high total irradiation dose with different radiation sources was used to evaluate the proposed topologies for a wide range of applications operating in harsh environments similar to the space environment. The proposed custom designed integrated circuits (IC) circuits utilize only CMOS transistors, operating in the subthreshold regime, and poly-silicon resistors without using any external components such as compensation capacitors. The circuits are radiation hardened by design (RHBD) and they were fabricated using TowerJazz Semiconductor’s 0.18 μm standard CMOS technology. The proposed voltage references are shown to be suitable for high-precision and low-power space applications. It is demonstrated that radiation hardened microelectronics operating in subthreshold regime are promising candidates for significantly reducing the size and cost of space missions due to reduced energy requirements.

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
pp. 429
Author(s):  
Min-Su Kim ◽  
Youngoo Yang ◽  
Hyungmo Koo ◽  
Hansik Oh

To improve the performance of analog, RF, and digital integrated circuits, the cutting-edge advanced CMOS technology has been widely utilized. We successfully designed and implemented a high-speed and low-power serial-to-parallel (S2P) converter for 5G applications based on the 28 nm CMOS technology. It can update data easily and quickly using the proposed address allocation method. To verify the performances, an embedded system (NI-FPGA) for fast clock generation on the evaluation board level was also used. The proposed S2P converter circuit shows extremely low power consumption of 28.1 uW at 0.91 V with a core die area of 60 × 60 μm2 and operates successfully over a wide clock frequency range from 5 M to 40 MHz.


1966 ◽  
Vol 39 (4) ◽  
pp. 1247-1257 ◽  
Author(s):  
Clyde L. Whipple ◽  
John A. Thorne

Abstract Elastomeric silicones are among the best materials available for many ablative and space applications. In ablative applications, these materials protect launching equipment, safeguard various parts of vehicles and spacecraft during flight, and shield re-entering spacecraft. Generally, elastomeric silicones are used where ablative conditions involve low to moderate heat fluxes and shear forces. Ablative characteristics of materials can vary widely depending on polymer type, fillers, and applications techniques, and no one elastomeric silicone will perform in a wide range of ablative missions. A good knowledge of the ablative characteristics of silicone materials is required to select the best candidates for a given application. In the space environment, silicones are often used for seals, thermal control coatings, potting materials, and other applications because they perform well over wide temperature ranges, and because they are inherently stable to high-vacuum and ultraviolet conditions. Data given in this paper illustrate that silicones show little weight loss or loss of properties on exposure to space environmental extremes. Furthermore, these losses can be made almost negligible by proper conditioning of the finished elastomer.


2019 ◽  
Vol 29 (08) ◽  
pp. 2050128
Author(s):  
Zied Sakka ◽  
Nadia Gargouri ◽  
Mounir Samet

This paper presents a low power temperature compensated CMOS ring oscillator for biomedical applications across a wide temperature range. The proposed circuit deploys an IPTAT (inversely proportional to absolute temperature) bias current by generating an adaptive control voltage in each stage of the oscillator to compensate the overall oscillator’s temperature coefficient (TC). Simulations using TSMC 0.18[Formula: see text][Formula: see text]m CMOS technology show that this configuration can achieve a frequency variation less than 0.25%, leading to an average frequency drift of 20.83[Formula: see text]ppm/∘C. Monte Carlo simulations have also been performed and demonstrate a 3[Formula: see text] deviation of about 2.15%. The power dissipated by the proposed circuit is only 8.48[Formula: see text]mW at 25∘C.


Symmetry ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (4) ◽  
pp. 624
Author(s):  
Anquan Wu ◽  
Bin Liang ◽  
Yaqing Chi ◽  
Zhenyu Wu

The reliability of integrated circuits under advanced process nodes is facing more severe challenges. Single-event transients (SET) are an important cause of soft errors in space applications. The SET caused by heavy ions in the 28 nm bulk silicon inverter chains was studied. A test chip with good symmetry layout design was fabricated based on the 28 nm process, and the chip was struck by using 5 kinds of heavy ions with different linear energy transfer (LET) values on heavy-ion accelerator. The research results show that in advanced technology, smaller sensitive volume makes SET cross-section measured at 28 nm smaller than 65 nm by an order of magnitude, the lower critical charge required to generate SET will increase the reliability threat of low-energy ions to the circuit, and high-energy ions are more likely to cause single-event multiple transient (SEMT), which cannot be ignored in practical circuits. The transients pulse width data can be used as a reference for SET modeling in complex circuits.


Author(s):  
Guillaume Bascoul ◽  
Philippe Perdu ◽  
Kevin Sanchez ◽  
Dean Lewis ◽  
Sylvain Dudit ◽  
...  

Abstract VLSI internal testing through silicon substrate has been widely studied and techniques like Time Resolved Emission has given impressive results. Nevertheless, Integrated Circuits (IC) are still evolving with more and more complex functions and various kinds of signals that could be split into two main categories: data and control. Controls activate specific block and according to the wide range of different blocks and device complexity, the first analysis task is to check block activity related to control line status. In this paper, we show how Time Resolved Imaging can precisely answer this challenge even in up-to-date technologies at low power supply.


2000 ◽  
Vol 621 ◽  
Author(s):  
B. E. Gilchrist ◽  
U. Michigan ◽  
Ann Arbor ◽  
K. L. Jensen ◽  
A. D. Gallimore ◽  
...  

ABSTRACTCold cathodes such as field emitter arrays offer the potential to benefit or enable space-based applications of critical commercial, government, or military importance by providing an electron source that is low power, low cost, requires no consumables, potentially robust as well as highly reliable. Applications that would especially benefit from such cold cathodes include low power electric propulsion (EP) thruster technology, electrodyanamic tethers (ED) for propellantless propulsion in low-Earth orbit, and spacecraft negative potential charge control. In controlled environments, field emitter arrays have shown substantial capability, but have failed in harsher environments more typical of space applications. We argue that a combination of localized arc suppression coupled with a low work function, but nevertheless robust, coating such as zirconium carbide would provide the needed ruggedness to withstand energetic ions, oxygen fluxes, and adsorbates typical of a spacecraft environment. We have found that arc-protected and coated FEACs that can operate in a 1-10 microTorr pressure environment with current densities of less than 0.1 Amps/cm^2 and gate voltages between 50-100 Volts, would enable reliable, lowcost devices capable of operating in the required space environment.


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