New Industry Products

Radiation-Tolerant Plastic ICs to Power Small Satellite Mega-Constellations

January 09, 2018 by Intersil

Intersil, a subsidiary of Renesas Electronics Corporation announced the first three members of its family of radiation-tolerant plastic-package ICs designed

Intersil, a subsidiary of Renesas Electronics Corporation announced the first three members of its family of radiation-tolerant plastic-package ICs designed to support the emerging field of small satellites that will provide solutions such as high-speed Internet connections to hundreds of millions of users in communities, governments, and businesses worldwide. Fleets of hundreds of small satellites will create mega-constellation networks to deliver broadband Internet links from low Earth orbit (LEO) to every corner of the globe, including rural areas without wireless connectivity access.

Intersil’s rad-tolerant plastic parts include the ISL71026M 3.3V controller area network (CAN) transceiver, ISL71444M 40V quad precision rail-to-rail input and output (RRIO) op amp, and the ISL71001M 6A point-of-load (POL) voltage regulator. These ICs deliver rad-tolerance performance at a much lower cost point versus radiation assurance tested Class V (space level) products. All three ISL71xxxM devices go through characterization testing, which includes total ionizing doze (TID) up to 30krads (Si) for single event effects (SEE). SEE take into account single event burnout (SEB), single event latch-up (SEL), single event transients (SETs) and single event functional interrupts (SEFIs) at a linear energy transfer (LET) of 43MeV•cm2/mg.

Intersil’s rad-tolerant plastic packaging flow leverages the company’s more than 50 years of spaceflight experience developing rad hard (>75krad) and rad-tolerant (<75krad) products for extremely harsh environments. The upfront radiation effects characterization and AEC-Q100 automotive-like qualification gives customers the utmost confidence to design Intersil radiation-tolerant plastic parts into cost-sensitive small satellites for LEO mission profiles up to five-years. The ISL71xxxM are also well suited for high altitude (>40km) avionic systems, launch vehicles that are prone to heavy ions, and medical equipment where radiation is a concern. 

 

About Intersil

Intersil Corporation, a wholly owned subsidiary of Renesas Electronics Corporation, is a leading provider of innovative power management and precision analog solutions. The company's products form the building blocks of increasingly intelligent, mobile and power hungry electronics enabling advances in power management to improve efficiency and extend battery life. With a deep portfolio of intellectual property and a rich history of design and process innovation, Intersil is the trusted partner to leading companies in some of the world's largest markets, including the industrial and infrastructure, mobile computing, automotive and aerospace.