Dr
Mike Wirthlin
(Brigham Young University, Provo, Utah)
Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) are an attractive alternative to application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) because of their in-field reprogrammability, low non-recurring engineering costs (NRE), and relatively short design cycle. They provide high logic density, access to the latest I/O standards, and can be designed with a variety of low-cost tools. FPGAs are increasingly used in non-traditional applications such as harsh environments and in safety critical systems.
Recently, there has been great interest in using FPGAs within spacecraft. FPGAs, like all semiconductor devices, are susceptible to the effects of radiation. The radiation effects of concern are single event effects (SEE). The large amount of memory within an FPGA required for specifying the circuit configuration is susceptible to single event upsets and transients.
There is an active research community investigating the effects of radiation on FPGAs and developing methods to mitigate against these effects. There has been significant progress over the last decade in the understanding and development of FPGA technology that is resistant to the effects of radiation. The success of these efforts has allowed the use of FPGAs in many existing spacecraft systems. This presentation will summarize the effects of radiation on FPGAs, methods to mitigate against these effects, and provide case studies of successful FPGA systems operating in space.
Summary
Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) are an attractive alternative to application specific integrated circuits (ASICs) because of their in-field reprogrammability, low non-recurring engineering costs (NRE), and relatively short design cycle. They provide high logic density, access to the latest I/O standards, and can be designed with a variety of low-cost tools. FPGAs are increasingly used in non-traditional applications such as harsh environments and in safety critical systems.
Recently, there has been great interest in using FPGAs within spacecraft. FPGAs, like all semiconductor devices, are susceptible to the effects of radiation. The radiation effects of concern are single event effects (SEE). The large amount of memory within an FPGA required for specifying the circuit configuration is susceptible to single event upsets and transients.
There is an active research community investigating the effects of radiation on FPGAs and developing methods to mitigate against these effects. There has been significant progress over the last decade in the understanding and development of FPGA technology that is resistant to the effects of radiation. The success of these efforts has allowed the use of FPGAs in many existing spacecraft systems. This presentation will summarize the effects of radiation on FPGAs, methods to mitigate against these effects, and provide case studies of successful FPGA systems operating in space.
