31-01-2009, 12:41 AM
RADIATION HARDENED CHIPS
Space is a hostile environment. No atmosphere, extreme variations in temperature and almost no energy sources, where even the slightest of mistakes can lead to a disaster. The vast emptiness of space is filled with radiation, mostly from the sun. A normal computer unless given proper shielding will not be able to work properly. Thus special types of chips- rad hard chips are used.
Radiation hardened chips are made by two methods: - Radiation hardening by process (RHBP) and Radiation hardening by design (RHBD). The latter method is much more cost effective and has a great potential for the future. . It has been demonstrated that RHBD techniques can provide immunity from total-dose and single-event effects in commercially produced circuits. Commercially produced RHBD memories, microprocessors, and application-specific integrated circuits are now being used in defense&space industry. Rad hard chips have a great scope in military application and protecting critical data (both industrial &domestic) from the vagaries of man and nature.
Current trends throughout military and space sectors favor the insertion of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) technologies for satellite applications. However, there are also unique concerns for assuring reliable performance in the presence of ionizing particle environments which present concerns in all orbits of interest. This seminar will detail these concerns from two important perspectives including premature device failure from total ionizing dose and also single particle effects which can cause both permanent failure and soft errors.
