Latchup Detection and Protection Technology for Space Applications

To advance intelligent satellites, a new Latchup-Detection-And-Protection (LDAP) Integrated Circuit (IC) is offered to enable the application of Commercially-Off-The-Shelf (COTS) ICs in satellites for the first time. State-of-the-art COTS ICs can latch up (Single Event Latchup) when a heavy particle strikes, resulting in permanent damage.  The new LDAP offers a novel unprecedented means to protect state-of-the-art COTS. The technology solution is supported by a full set of Radiation-Hardened-By-Design (RHBD) digital library cells whose attributes include ultra-low error-rate and yet low area-, power-, and delay-overheads when compared to the state-of-the-art solutions.  The RHBD library cells are space-grade, not only increasing the lifespan of the electronics in space environments, but also enabling unprecedented higher processing power (more intelligence) for electronics.

(A) Enabling advanced COTS

1. Protecting COTS from destructive radiation effects

2. Fast and intelligent detection and power cycling

3. Detection of micro-latchup

    

(B) Radiation-hardened Point-of-Load

1. Single inductor multiple output

2. Built-in redundancy

3. Optimized high power efficiency over all loading conditions

4. Built-in intelligent load protection from latchup

    

(C) Radiation-hardened System-on-Chip (SoC)

1. Ultra-low error rate under radiation effects

2. Low composite power-delay-area overheads

3. Compatible with existing SoC design tools and methodologies  

4. Complete RHBD library cells

1. Latchup Detection and Protection (LDAP) design.  The LDAP design can be a stand-alone IC to protect COTS, or a bare die for system-in-package or an intellectual property (IP) for SoCs.
2. Radiation-hardened digital library IPs, space-grade SoCs, SoCs for level-5 autonomous vehicles, SoCs for reliable automotive applications, SoCs for aviation applications, SoC for reliable biomedical applications

1. Latchup Detection And Protection (LDAP) allows the customer to adopt most of the advanced COTS electronics into satellites.
2. Radiation-hardened digital library IPs enable fast prototyping for space-grade designs and yet with low power-delay-area overheads.  The digital library IPs are compatible with the standard design methodologies, and provide a simple design use case.