Radiation-Hardened Plastic ICs for High Reliability and Reduced SWAP in Space Applications

Published  July 15, 2021   0
Radiation-Hardened Plastic ICs

Renesas Electronics Corporation has introduced a new lineup of radiation-hardened plastic ICs to power satellites in medium and geosynchronous Earth orbits. Co-packaged for space, the new lCs, ISL71001SLHM/SEHM point of load buck regulator, ISL71610SLHM and ISL71710SLHM digital isolators, and the ISL73033SLHM 100V GaN FET and integrated low-side driver deliver high GaN FET driver performance, high reliability, and reduced SWaP.

Besides rad-hard assurance levels, these new ICs in plastic packaging ensure to help save board area and reduce the cost. The new portfolio brings space-grade solutions to missions in medium/geosynchronous Earth orbit (MEO/GEO) with longer lifetime requirements, as well as small satellites (smallsats) and higher density electronics while reducing size, weight, and power (SWaP) costs.

The rad-hard plastic IC lineup supports multiple orbit ranges, providing the radiation performance and optimal cost balance required for a variety of satellite subsystems and payloads. The new ICs will enable customers to enjoy the SWaP advantages of plastic packaging to save up to 50 % of the board area compared to ceramic-packaged devices while maintaining the reliability and radiation assurance required for higher orbit missions with lifespans ranging up to and beyond 15 years.

The new devices feature QMLV-like production level testing and will undergo Radiation Lot Acceptance Testing (RLAT) to ensure high quality for operation in harsh space environments. Moreover, these are characterization tested at a total ionizing dose (TID) of up to 75krad(Si) for low dose rate (LDR) and at a linear energy transfer (LET) of 60MeV•cm2/mg or LET 86MeV•cm2/mg for single event effects (SEE). The ISL71001SEHM is rated at TID up to 100krad(Si) for high dose rate (HDR).

The ISL71610SLHM, ISL73033SLHM, and ISL71001SLHM are available now from the company website. The ISL71710SLHM and ISL71001SEHM will be available in September 2021 and Q4 2021 respectively.