DC-DC Converters for Space Applications
This section presents information and resources to help designers select and evaluate rad hard dc-dc converters for space applications such as satellites and spacecraft. This section covers both fully functional dc-dc converter modules as well as power ICs. Resources for designing rad hard dc-dc converters are also referenced here.
Where to find dc-dc converters and related power ICs for space applications
A source list of manufacturers offering rad hard dc-dc converter modules, voltage regulators, and related power ICs with details about what they offer. View this manufacturers list.
Images above courtesy of Renesas, IR HiRel, VPT and Texas Instruments.
News about rad hard dc-dc converter and related products
GaN FET With Embedded Schottky Diode Is New Rad Hard Product Offering
EPC Space has launched a line of HEMTKY products. A HEMTKY is a high electron mobility transistor with an embedded, antiparallel Schottky diode, which minimizes third quadrant conduction losses absent GaN HEMT synchronous drive.
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NSREC Notes: Rad-Tolerant Power Devices, Reference Designs, And GaN-based Products Continue To Increase As Vendors Expand Space Portfolios
This How2Power exclusive offers highlights of various new and recently introduced power products featured in the exhibition at the IEEE Nuclear & Space Radiation Effects Conference (NSREC 2024) which was held July 22-26 in Ottawa, Canada.
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CMSE 2024 Presented Developments In Power Component Standards, Sources And Reliability
At the 27th annual Components for Military & Space Electronics Conference & Exhibition, speakers presented developments in electronic components, materials and packaging, including power-related talks on the QML-P packaging standard, rad-hard MOSFET development, a COTS power supply failure analysis and transient-induced failures in magnetics.
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Power Management With Voltage Monitoring Solution for Space-Grade AI SoC
Renesas Electronics’ space-ready power management reference design for the AMD Versal AI Edge XQRVE2302 Adaptive SOC includes a digital wrapper and system health monitoring through an intuitive GUI.
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Vulnerable transistors threaten to upend Europa Clipper mission
Science.org reports that a batch of Infineon MOSFETs which do not meet the rad-hard specs of the mission have been incorporated into circuitry in NASA’s Europa Clipper spacecraft, posing challenges to the October launch and the longevity of the mission to investigate Jupiter’s moon.
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Rad-Hard Arbiter IC Stops Propagation Of Power Supply Failures
Apogee Semiconductor’s AP54RHC288 dual two-input arbiter is designed to prevent propagation of failure modes in power supply, motor control and other half-bridge and full-bridge applications.
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SiC Innovations Advance Space Power Technology
From EE Times, Maurizio Di Paolo Emilio’s interview with CoolCAD Electronics’ Akin Akturk discusses how CoolCad’s SiC MOSFETs are achieving radiation hardness at elevated bias voltages, significantly above those of GaN devices.
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App Note Describes Multiphase Interleaving Of Rad-Hard Power Modules
EPC Space’s AN005 application note focuses on enhancing the power capability of the FBS-GAM02 and GAM02-PSE modules for POL applications through multiphase interleaving of these GaN ICs.
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Rad-Tolerant 50-W DC-DC Converters Address New Space Needs
Microchip Technology’s LE50-28 family of 50-W radiation-tolerant isolated converters addresses demands for standard space-grade solutions that are reliable and cost effective for the new space market.
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GaN Power Stage IC Is Rad Hard
Described as the world’s first rad-hard GaN power stage IC, EPC Space’s EPC7011L7SH is a single-chip driver plus eGaN FET half-bridge in a compact ceramic SMT package.
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Rad-Hard DC-DC Converter Is Tailored For Noise-Sensitive RF Applications
VPT’s SLNP17-100CQ is the company’s first dc-dc power supply with extremely quiet and low noise outputs, (<0.25 mV), designed specifically for noise-sensitive RF space applications.
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Rad-Hard ICs Deliver 300-krad TID For GEO Applications
Apogee Semiconductor’s AF54RHC GEO family of radiation-hardened logic functions feature essential capabilities for GEO applications.
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GaN Power Devices Enable Configurable, 1600-W DC-DC Solution For Space
VPT’s SGRBX is being introduced as the first-ever configurable box solution featuring state-of-the-art GaN technology.
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Space COTS DC-DC Converters Deliver Up To 100 W For New Space Applications
Crane Aerospace & Electronics’ Interpoint xMOR 120-W family features four dc-dc converters with a shared core architecture, each tailored to address different aerospace and defense market needs.
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120-W DC-DC Converter Family Addresses Deep Space, New Space Requirements
Crane Aerospace & Electronics’ Interpoint xMOR 120-W family features four dc-dc converters with a shared core architecture, each tailored to address different aerospace and defense market needs.
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Provider Of High-Rel Power Supplies For Space Celebrates 30
th Anniversary
VPT, a manufacturer of high-rel dc-dc converters, EMI filters and associated products for use in space, avionics, and military applications is celebrating its 30
th anniversary.
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Rad-Hard GaN Semiconductor Company Opens New Facility
EPC Space has announced the grand opening of its Andover, MA facility, showcasing its radiation hardened GaN technology.
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NSREC 2024 Issues Save The Date
The next edition of the IEEE Nuclear and Space Radiation Effects Conference will be held July 22-24, 2024 at The Shaw Centre in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.
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Irradiation Facilities Issue Call For Beam Time Proposals
The 9th call for RADNEXT beam time proposals is open until Sept 30th, offering an opportunity to perform radiation effects testing at the CERN facilities on electronics research experiments with beam time funded by the European Commission.
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DC-DC Converters Feature 60-krad ELDRS
VPT has announced availability of its SVLFL5000 Series of space-qualified DC-DC converters, which are characterized by TID performance, including ELDRS to 60 krad.
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40-V Rad-Hard GaN FETs Deliver High Performance For LEO And GEO Applications
EPC has introduced two 40-V rad-hard GaN FETs rated at 62 A and 250 A—the 4-mΩ, 250-Apulsed EPC7001 in a 7-mm2 footprint and the 14.5-mΩ, 62-Apulsed EPC7002 in a 1.87-mm2 footprint.
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Power Highlights From CMSE 2023: A New Twist On Voltage Regulator ICs And Radiation Effects In GaN Devices
An article in How2Power Today offers highlights of two power-related talks at the recent Components for Military and Space Electronics Conference & Exhibition.
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GaN Transistors Expand 100-V And 200-V Rad Hard Options
EPC has expanded its portfolio of rad-hard GaN FETs with the introduction of the EPC7020, a 200-V, 11-mΩ device and the EPC7003, a 100-V, 30-mΩ device.
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RADECS Issues Call For Papers
RADECS 2023, the Conference on Radiation and its Effects on Components and Systems, which will take place September 25-29 in Toulouse, France, has issued its call for papers.
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CMSE Focuses On Optimizing Component Choice For Military & Space Applications
This article offers a preview of the 26th Annual Components for Military and Space Electronics (CMSE), which will being held April 25-27, 2023 at the Four Points by Sheraton (LAX).
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Registration Opens For Space Power Workshop
Registration is now open for the Space Power Workshop, which will be held April 25–27, 2023, at the Torrance Marriott Redondo Beach Hotel.
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Chipmaker Introduces COTS Rad-Tolerant LDO
Microchip Technology has announced its first commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) rad-tolerant power device, the MIC69303RT 3-A LDO.
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Rad-Hard ICs Lift Off Onboard Mission To the Moon
Renesas Electronics has announced that hundreds of its rad-hard ICs, including power management devices, are onboard the Artemis 1 launch that blasted off on November 16.
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Semiconductor Manufacturer Sells Hi-Rel DC-DC Converter Business
Micross Components has agreed to purchase Infineon’s HiRel DC-DC converter business including its hybrid and custom board-based power products.
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IC Maker Expands Space-Grade Portfolio With Rad-Hard And Rad-Tolerant Plastic Packages
Texas Instruments has developed a new device screening specification called space high-grade in plastic (SHP) for radiation-hardened products.
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CMSE Issues Call For Presentations
The 26th Annual CMSE Conference and Exhibition is accepting presentations for its in-person event April 25-27, 2023 in Los Angeles.
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NSREC 2023 Opens Registration For Exhibitors And Supporters
Exhibit and supporter registration is now open for NSREC 2023, which will be held July 24-28 in Kansas City, Missouri.
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NSREC Notes: Exhibitors Showcase Latest Reference Designs Along With Progress In Rad-Tolerant And Rad-Hard Power Components
After two years of virtual conferencing, the Nuclear & Space Radiation Effects Conference (NSREC 2022) returned to in-person July 18-22 in Provo, Utah.
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Article Explains Benefits Of Proprietary Power Architecture In New Space Applications
This Microwaves & RF article describes Vicor’s Factorized Power Architecture and the benefits it offers in LEO and MEO applications, including details on the company’s rad-tolerant power modules.
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Space Technology Provider Adds Global Distributor For Its Rad Hard ICs
Apogee Semiconductor, a provider of technologies and products for space and other extreme environments, has appointed Micross Components as its global distributor of die and packaged rad-tolerant and rad-hard ICs.
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Speaker Discusses Power Electronics Challenges Posed By Long Lunar Missions
In a plenary talk at APEC 2022, John H. Scott of the NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate discussed power management requirements for a return to the moon under NASA’s Artemis Program.
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40-V Rad-Hard GaN FET Boasts Low On-Resistance
Article in How2Power Today introduces EPC’s EPC7019, a 40-V, 1.5-mΩ, 530-A pulsed, radiation-hardened eGaN FET in a small 13.9-mm2 footprint.
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CMSE Reveals Key Note Talks For Upcoming Virtual Conference
Article in How2Power Today announces keynote talks for CMSE and other highlights of the program.
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Rad-Hard ICs In Plastic Packages For “New Space” Satellites
STMicroelectronics’ new LEO series of radiation-hardened power, analog and logic ICs, which include a voltage regulator, are offered in low-cost plastic packages intended for use in LEO satellites.
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GaN Power Device Maker Inks Deal With Distributor
Digi-Key Electronics will be a global distributor for EPC Space’s line of rad hard GaN-on-silicon transistors and ICs, packaged, tested, and qualified for satellite and high-reliability applications.
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Single-Stage, Isolated Converters For High-Throughput Satellite Payloads
CAES’s 28-V rad-tolerant converters are described as the industry’s first single-stage, isolated dc-dc converters for high-throughput satellite payloads, and first of their kind to incorporate GaN technology.
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NSREC Notes: Vendor Talks Highlight Advances In Power Devices, Packaging...
Article in How2Power Today presents rad hard power device news shared at the virtual NSREC 2021, including power ICs and MOSFETs, eval boards, ref designs for powering FPGAs, and plastic-packaging.
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GaN Device Maker Publishes Pricing On Space-Grade Parts
A press release from EPC Space publishes a space-level pricing table for its rad hard GaN power devices.
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Rad Hard GaN Power Devices Selected For Geostationary Satellites
A press release from EPC Space announces that it has been selected by Astranis to provide rad hard GaN power devices for the latest build of small geostationary communications satellites.
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GaN Transistors Find Use In A Range of Space Applications
GaN Systems discusses a range of space applications that are using GaN power semiconductors including NASA’s Europa Clipper project, which will conduct detailed reconnaissance of Jupiter's moon Europa.
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Rad-Hard Plastic Portfolio For MEO And GEO Satellites
Renesas Electronics’ new line of plastic-packaged rad-hard devices for satellite power management systems include the ISL71001SLHM/SEHM buck regulator, ISL71610SLHM and ISL71710SLHM digital isolators, and the ISL73033SLHM 100-V GaN FET and low-side driver.
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GaN Transistors And ICs Target Power Supplies, LiDAR And Motor Drives
EPC’s EPC7014, a 60-V, 340-mΩ, 4-APulsed, rad-hard eGaN FET in a tiny 0.81-mm2 footprint is the first member of a new family of rad-hard eGaN transistors and ICs for demanding space applications.
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Power Supply Takes Flight on Mars
Astrodyne TDI’s Sr. director of engineering, Loay Elbasyouni has designed the first power supply to fly on Mars, as part of Ingenuity, NASA-JPL’s Mars Helicopter.
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NSREC Notes: Space Power Components Answer Calls For Higher Performance, Lower Cost
Article in How2Power Today presents news of rad hard and rad tolerant power components shared at the virtual NSREC 2020, including plastic-packaged parts, a higher-performance PWM controller, smart power switch controllers and point-of-load converters.
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Rad-Hard ICs Onboard Spacecraft That Returned Asteroid Samples
A press releases announces that Renesas’ rad-hard ICs were onboard the Hayabusa2 spacecraft that returned asteroid samples to Earth on December 6, 2020.
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RADECS Call For Papers Is Now Open
The call for papers is now open for the RADECS 2021 conference on radiation and its effects on components and systems, which will be held September 13-17 in Vienna, Austria.
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Satellites Use Radiation-Tolerant Power Modules With High Power Density
A press release announces Vicor’s first radiation-tolerant dc-dc power modules, which were designed for deployment in the Boeing-manufactured O3b mPOWER satellite.
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Conference Focuses On Safety And Sustainability In Space
The theme of the next RADECS conference, which is to be held Sept. 13-17, 2021 in Vienna, will be “Committed to Safety and Sustainability in Space”, with a view to future space missions and applications, and the use of space for the entire global community. The call for papers is now posted.
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Space-Grade Point-Of-Load Converters Are Sampling
News story in HOW2POWER TODAY announces the availability of engineering samples for VPT’s space-grade SVRPL3R306SG point-of-load converter.
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Rad hard MOSFETs And DC-DC Converter Receive Honors
According to IR HiRel, the company’s SupIR-SMD rad hard MOSFET packaging and M3GB 120-V input hybrid dc-dc converter were recognized as Silver honorees by the 2020 Military & Aerospace Electronics Innovators Awards program.
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SEE Symposium And MAPLD Workshop Will Be Virtual in October
The 2020 Single-Event Effects (SEE) Symposium and Military and Aerospace Programmable Logic Devices (MAPLD) Workshop will be held virtually, October 6-8. It will include pre-recorded oral presentations, tutorials, panel session, live Q&A, posters, networking events, and an industrial exhibit.
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Supplier Of GaN Power Devices Appoints Distributor For Defense And Aerospace Market
A press release from EPC Space announces the appointment of Spirit Electronics, which supplies products and services to the Department of Defense, aerospace, and telecommunication industries, as a distribution partner.
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Kit Speeds Design Of Rad Hard Power ICs
News story in HOW
2POWER
TODAY introduces Apogee Semiconductor’s TalRad Process Design Kit, which enables rapid creation of rad-hard IC designs in TSI’s 180-nm CMOS high-voltage silicon process.
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Mars Rover Blasts Off With Many Of This Vendor’s ICs
Renesas Electronics has announced that more than 20 of its rad-hard ICs were onboard the July 30 lift off of NASA"s Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover.
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DC-DC Converters and EMI Filters Power Mars Rover
A press release from VPT highlights its rad hard power modules and filters aboard NASA’s Mars 2020 Perseverance Rover where they power the camera system and onboard processing.
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NSREC Goes Virtual
The IEEE Nuclear & Space Radiation Effects Conference (NSREC), which had been postponed from July to December 2020, is transitioning to a virtual event.
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A Better Package For Rad Hard MOSFETs
News story in HOW
2POWER
TODAY announces that Infineon has introduced 14 newly QPL-qualified rad hard MOSFETs housed in an innovative direct-to-PCB mounting package called the SupIR-SMD.
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GaN And Hi-Rel Power Specialists Form Joint Venture Targeting Rad Hard Power Electronics Market
A press release announced a joint venture by Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) and VPT, dubbed EPC Space, which will provide advanced, high-reliability, power conversion solutions for critical spaceborne environments in applications including power supplies, lidar, motor drive, and ion thrusters.
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Acquisition Expands Company’s Support Of Commercial Space Industry
A press release from Radiation Test Solutions announces that the company has reached an agreement with Cobham Advanced Electronic Solutions to purchase Cobham RAD, a provider of MIL-STD radiation effects test services, heavy ion SEE testing, device preparation service prior to test, device screening and element evaluation, and quick turn prototype integrated circuit assembly.
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Rad-Hard Rectifiers Boosts Efficiency in Space Applications
A press release from STMicroelectronics announces that the company has extended its portfolio of radiation-hardened power devices qualified for space applications by introducing new ESCC-qualified 200-V and 400-V power rectifiers and SEB -immune Schottky rectifiers.
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NSREC 2020 Moves To December
From HOW
2POWER
TODAY, due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the IEEE Nuclear and Space Radiation Effects Conference (NSREC 2020), which was originally to be held in July, has been rescheduled to December 1-4, 2020. The Hilton Buffalo Thunder in Santa Fe, New Mexico remains the venue.
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Programmable Integrated Current Limiter Is Space-Qualified
A press release from STMicroelectronics, announces the RHRPMICL1A, a single-chip, rad-hard, programmable integrated current limiter that prevents power surges and overloads from damaging electronic equipment operated in space.
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Rad Hard Regulator Integrates Synchronous Buck And LDO For Satellites
News story in HOW
2POWER
TODAY announces Renesas Electronics’s ISL70005SEH, which is described as the industry’s first single-chip synchronous buck and low dropout (LDO) regulator targeting low-power FPGAs, DDR memory and other digital loads for spaceflight payload applications.
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GaN in Space
In this article in PSD magazine, Steve Taranovich discusses the use of GaN power devices, mainly those from Freebird Semiconductor in power systems for space applications. Before discussing the power performance capabilities and rad hard characteristics of the GaN power transistors and the topologies in which they are used, the article points out the opportunities for GaN devices by describing the different components of space power systems (energy sources and storage, power distribution architectures, and power converters) and power specs for satellites and spacecraft including examples from existing and planned programs.
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NSREC 2019: Rad Hard Power IC Portfolios Add New Functions And Higher Performance Options
News story in HOW
2POWER
TODAY highlights the rad hard and rad tolerant power components demonstrated at the recent NSREC 2019 conference in San Antonio, Texas. These includes load switches, GaN power modules and IP blocks for power supply ASICs plus power converter reference designs and power converter modules.
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Injector Supports PSRR Testing For Military And Satellite Buses
News story in HOW
2POWER
TODAY announces Picotest’s J2121A injector, which supports power supply rejection ratio testing. The injector is especially suited to high-power applications including military and satellite bus voltages up to 400 V/20 A with a bandwidth up to 1 MHz.
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Rad Hard Current Sources For Sensing Subystems In Satellites
News story in HOW
2POWER
TODAY announces Renesas Electronics’ ISL70591SEH and ISL70592SEH radiation-hardened precision current sources, which are designed to provide current excitation to the more than 300 resistive sensors that monitor the health of a satellite’s subsystems.
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Vendors Fired Up Latest Rad Hard Power Solutions At NSREC 2018
News story in HOW
2POWER
TODAY highlights the power components demonstrated at the recent NSREC 2018 conference in Kona, Hawaii. These included the latest power converter modules, power semiconductors, ICs and reference designs for implementing reliable power systems in satellites and other spacecraft.
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Rad Hard POLs Feature Tight Regulation For Digital Processing Applications
News story in HOW
2POWER
TODAY describes the SVPL series of space-qualified point-of-load dc-dc converters (POLs). These converters are designed specifically for space applications facing harsh radiation environments while requiring low voltages and tight regulation for high-performance processors.
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Rad-Tolerant GaN FETs And Fast Half-Bridge Driver Target Satellites
Press release announces Teledyne e2v’s launch of a GaN power solution consisting of GaN FETs from GaN Systems and what’s called “the industry’s first rad-tolerant, half-bridge power driver for GaN high-reliability applications” from PSemi. This introduction continues the recent string of announcements about GaN power semiconductors for space applications. (See the NSREC news and other articles in this section.)
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Rad-Hard GaN Devices Propel Space Power Supplies To Higher Performance
News story in HOW
2POWER
TODAY describes Renesas Electronics’ (formerly Intersil) ISL70040SEH low-side GaN FET driver, ISL7023SEH 100-V GaN FET and ISL70024SEH 200-V GaN FET, which were being introduced as the space industry’s first radiation-hardened, low-side GaN FET driver and GaN FETs for launch vehicles and satellite power supplies.
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Power Supply Sequencers Are Rad Hard
Press release announces the ISL70321SEH and ISL73321SEH quad power supply sequencers for point-of load (POL) regulators that power high-performance FPGAs and complex, multi-rail power systems. When the company previewed these chips at NSREC 2017, it described them as the industry’s first radiation-hardened power supply sequencer ICs. (See “More Power News From NSREC 2017” below on this page.)
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Rad-Tolerant Plastic ICs Support Small Satellite Mega-Constellations
Press release announces a rad-tolerant plastic IC package and the first three parts introduced in this package. These parts include the ISL71001M 6A point-of-load regulator and two non-power components, a 3.3-V CAN transceiver and a 40-V quad precision op amp. Intersil has a long history in providing rad hard components, so the introduction of the less stringent rad tolerant devices in plastic packaging represents a new approach for them in addressing the cost-sensitive small satellites market.
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NSREC 2017 Highlights Latest Rad Hard Power Components For Space
This is How2Power’s preview of the power parts that will be shown at the NSREC 2017 conference in New Orleans. It includes rad hard (or rad tolerant) power supply ICs and modules for space applications, including a soon-to-be-released GaN FET Driver with GaN FET and other GaN transistors.
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More Power News From NSREC 2017
This is How2Power’s post-conference report on the NSREC 2017 expo, providing news on more of the rad-hard or rad-tolerant dc-dc converters, point-of-load converters (POLs), LDOs, power MOSFETs and other components that were shown at NSREC 2017. It includes news of a rad-hard power sequencing IC, which may be the first of its kind.
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DC-DC Converter supports 42-V and 50-V power busses
Development of Radiation Hardened Gallium Nitride Power Conversion Systems for Satellite and Harsh Environment Applications
Press release announcing partnership between Freebird Semiconductor and Efficient Power Conversion (EPC) wherein Freebird will develop products for use in high reliability space and harsh environment applications based upon eGaN power transistors and integrated circuits.
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40-W Radiation-Hardened 120-V Input DC-DC Converters For Satellite Power Systems
Press release for IR Hi Rel’s M3G120 Series of 40W rad-hard dc-dc converters for a wide range of digital and analog satellite power systems requiring up to 15 years or more of mission life.
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High-Rel Dual-Output DC-DC Converters Target Satellite Power Systems
News story in HOW
2POWER
TODAY described International Rectifier’s D Series of low-power radiation-tolerant two-output dc-dc converters.
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Rad-Hard Power Converters Ride Intermediate Bus Into Space
This feature from HOW
2POWER
TODAY describes the rad-hard dc-dc converters and point-of-load converters (POLs) for space that were introduced at the 2012 NSREC conference. While this story is a few years old, keep in mind that products developed for this market have long life cycles.
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Find articles on designing power converters for:
Other space power resources:
Extensive Reference Explores Every Aspect Of Space Power
Spacecraft Power Systems, Mukund R. Patel, CRC Press, 2005, 691 pages, hardback; ISBN 0-8493-2786-5.
Reviewed by Dennis Feucht, Innovatia Laboratories, Cayo, Belize
This book is intended for those in power electronics interested in spacecraft power systems. While this is not a new publication, references such as this are somewhat rare and the concepts discussed are ones that have been developed over decades of spacecraft development. So this book remains relevant and informative. For those power system developers working in other fields and unfamiliar with space requirements, this book may be an eye opener as it sheds light on a set of environmental challenges that are literally and figuratively, out of this world.
Read the full story…