Volume 11, Number 3 • Fall 2003 • Small Business/SBIR

SBIR Protects from Radiation

Single event latch-up protected integrated circuits suitable for space applications. Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

SIntegrated circuits lie behind the operation of computers, science instruments, communication systems, cars and more in today’s world. Unfortunately, many commercially available, integrated circuits are susceptible to failure in a space environment as a result of collisions from heavy ions or protons that are produced by cosmic rays and solar flares. Therefore, it has been necessary to redesign and manufacture integrated circuits that are radiation hardened for space missions. This not only has been expensive and time consuming, but has meant that the latest integrated circuit designs have not been available for space missions. Under a SBIR contract managed at NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Maxwell Technologies demonstrated a new technology that can be incorporated into the manufacture of the integrated circuits that protects against radiation damage. This technology has made it possible to take advantage of advanced circuit designs and lowered the overall cost of integrated circuits for space missions.

Radiation causes different types of damage in commercial integrated circuits. For example, if a heavy ion or proton strikes a memory cell, the stored data could be destroyed. This single event upset can cause a fatal error unless the software program using this data is able to detect the upset and recover. Another possibility is that the heavy ion or proton collision causes a “localized short,” resulting in an increase in current consumption that exceeds the integrated circuit’s limit. This effect is known as a single event latch-up, which often destroys the operation of the integrated circuit. As a result, this type of event would cause a computer failure or some other system failure that depended on the integrated circuit for operation.

Maxwell has a number of civilian and military customers that have purchased latch-up protected integrated circuits for their satellite missions. The latch-up protection technology provides significant cost savings over alternative methods of protecting the operation of the integrated circuit.

Radiation protection also is required for the Mars Rovers’ electronics. Mars does not have the magnetic field and thick atmosphere like Earth’s, which shields against high-energy radiation. A single event latch-up incident could mean the loss of data being collected by a science exploration rover. Maxwell Electronics has supplied A to D converters for the 2003 Mars Rovers that are single-event latch-up protected. This technology ensures the survivability of the rovers’ communication system in Mars’ harsh radiation environment.

Maxwell Technologies is an excellent example of how NASA-sponsored research and development through the SBIR Program has enabled leading-edge space missions to achieve their objectives using cost-effective radiation-mitigation technologies. *

For more information, contact Byron Jackson of the JPL SBIR Program Office, 818/354-1246, or Byron.L.Jackson@jpl.nasa.gov. Please mention you read about it in Innovation.Innovation.

NASA Official: Jonathan Root • Web Design: Printing & Design Office, NASA Headquarters • Credits