Ruggedizing Buck Converters For Space And Other High Radiation Environments

Focus:

This article reviews the effect of radiation on electronic components and the technologies, processes and device techniques that make semiconductors radiation-tolerant or radiation-hard. Concepts such total ionizing dose (TID), single-event transients (SETs), single-event latch-ups (SELs) and single-event effects (SEEs) are briefly explained. Rad hardening techniques described here include use of the silicon on insulator process, GaN HEMTs, annular gate transistors or enclosed-layout transistors (ELTs), SJDMOS transistors, ELT/SJDMOS cascodes, and dynamic-threshold MOS transistors. Benefits of air core inductors are also explained. The article then discusses Alphacore’s design of a rad- hard dc-dc converter for space. The converter is based on an EPC GaN power stage IC and Alphacore’s CMOS SOI controller/driver IC with high-voltage superjunction transistors for the driver section. Able to properly function up to 200 Mrad of TID, the converter can operate within the large hadron collider at CERN, and in space satellite and probe missions.

What you’ll learn:

• How to develop power supply controller ICs that are rad hard by design
• How to develop a rad hard buck converter for space or particle accelerator applications

View the Source

Author & Publication:

Nazzareno (Reno) Rossetti, Alphacore, Tempe, Ariz., How2Power Today, Jan 14 2022

This article summary appears
in the HOW2POWER Design Guide.

The Design Guide offers
organized access to
hundreds of articles
on dozens of power conversion
and power management topics.

The Design Guide search results
include exclusive summaries
and accurate "how to" analysis
to help you make faster,
more informed decisions.

Search
for more articles