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Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

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At least 109 records · Page 6
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS2006

Single Event Effects Test Results for Advanced Field Programmable Gate Arrays

Reconfigurable Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) from Altera and Actel and an FPGA-based quick-turnApplication Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC) from Altera were subjected to single-event testing using heavy ions. Both Altera devices (Stratix II and HardCopy II) exhibited a low latchup threshold (below an LET of 3 MeV-cm2/mg) and thus are not recommended for applications in the space radiation environment. The flash-based Actel ProASIC Plus device did not exhibit latchup to an effective LET of 75 MeV-cm2/mg at room temperature. In addition, these tests did not show flash cell charge loss (upset) or retention damage. Upset characterization of the design-level flip-flops yielded an LET threshold below 10 MeV-cm2/mg and a high LET cross section of about lxlO-6 cm2/bit for storing ones and about lxl0-7 cm2/bit for storing zeros . Thus, the ProASIC device may be suitable for critical flight applications with appropriate triple modular redundancy mitigation techniques.

Field Programmable Gate Arrays↗
NASA NTRS1975

High resolution Cerenkov and range detectors for balloon-borne cosmic-ray experiment

A combination of an active Cerenkov detector and passive range detectors is proposed for the high resolution measurement of isotopic composition in the neighborhood of iron in the galactic cosmic rays. A large area (4,300 sq cm) Cerenkov counter and passive range detectors were tested. Tests with heavy ions (2.1 GeV/amu C-12, 289 MeV/amu Ar-40, and 594 MeV/amu Ne-20) revealed the spatial uniformity of response of the Cerenkov counter to be better than 1% peak-to-peak. Light collection efficiency is independent of projectile energy and incidence angle to within at least 0.5%. Passive Lexan track recorders to measure range in the presence of the nuclear interaction background which results from stopping particles through 0.9 interaction lengths of matter were also tested. It was found that nuclear interactions produce an effective range straggling distribution only approximately 75% wider than that expected from range straggling alone. The combination of these tested techniques makes possible high mass resolution in the neighborhood of iron.

Ahlen, S. P.↗
DOE OSTI2022

A radiation tolerant clock generator for the CMS endcap timing layer readout chip

Here, we present the test results of a low jitter Phase Locked Loop (PLL) prototype chip for the CMS Endcap Timing Layer readout chip (ETROC). This chip is based on the improved version of a clock synthesis circuit named ljCDR from the Low Power Gigabit Transceiver (lpGBT) project. The ljCDR is tested in its PLL mode. An automatic frequency calibration (AFC) block with the Triple Modular Redundancy (TMR) register is developed for the LC-oscillator calibration. The chip was manufactured in a 65 nm CMOS process with 10 metal layers. The chip has been extensively tested, including Total Ionizing Dose (TID) testing up to 300 Mrad and Single Event Upset (SEU) testing with heavy ions possessing a Linear Energy Transfer (LET) from 1.3 to 62.5 MeV × cm 2 /mg.

46 INSTRUMENTATION RELATED TO NUCLEAR SCIENCE AND ↗
DOE OSTI2025

The ETROC2 as the Final Version for CMS Endcap Timing Layer (ETL) Upgrade

The ETROC (Endcap Timing Readout Chip) is being developed for the LGAD-based CMS Endcap Timing Layer (ETL) at HL-LHC. The ETL on each side of the interaction region will be instrumented with a two-disk system of MIP-sensitive LGAD (Low Gain Avalanche Diodes) silicon devices, read out by ETROCs for precision timing measurement with down to ~30 ps timing resolution per track. The ETROC is designed to handle a 16 x 16 pixel cell matrix, with each pixel being 1.3 mm x 1.3 mm to match the LGAD sensor pixel size. The front-end design for preamplifier and discriminator has been specifically optimized for the reduced LGAD signals, with enough flexibilities to meet the ETL specific needs for time resolution, power budget and radiation profile. The ETROC chip is implemented in a commercial 65nm CMOS process. Each channel consists of a preamplifier, a discriminator, a TDC used for TOA (Time Of Arrival) and TOT (Time Over Threshold) measurements, and a memory for data storage and readout. An in-pixel auto threshold calibration is included, along with a self-testing pattern generator. The TOT is used for time-walk correction of the TOA measurement. The detailed hit information (TOA and TOT) from each cell will be read out from a local circular buffer after each Level-1 Accept (about 1 MHz). In addition, a charge injection circuit is implemented to allow for testing and calibration. For more detailed monitoring of the signal pulses, waveform sampling circuits are included for one pixel. The clock distribution is based on a 16x16 H-tree design with a shielding structure to alleviate potential interference. The global peripheral circuits include a PLL, a phase shifter, an I2C slave controller, a fast control block, a global readout, and a data driver along with an efuse and temperature sensor. The ETROC builds event data frames for each L1A selected event and is also capable of providing L1 trigger information for user-defined delayed hits. The main design challenge is how to extract precision timing information from the small LGAD signals in the presence of high irradiation fluence, while keeping the power consumption and digital activity low. The ETL design goal for the time resolution of 50 ps per hit is required to achieve a 35 ps arrival time measurement for a MIP particle, which has its track registered in two ETL disk layers. The LGAD contribution is known to be about 30 ps, this means that the jitter from the ETROC has to be kept below 40 ps. The ETROC2 is the first full size full functionality prototype design fully compatible with the final chip specifications for CMS ETL and now becomes the final version. The ETROC2 chips have been extensively tested. We will present here new testing results including the bump bonding yield improvement study, the time walk correction (TWC) generality study with one pixel TWC applying to all pixels, the final SEU testing using both heavy ion and proton beam, more beam test studies including different sensors, and readiness for the ETROC2 production for CMS ETL upgrade.

Liu, Tiehui [Fermilab] (ORCID:0009000765225605)↗
NASA NTRS1991

Transient SEUs in a fiber optic system for space applications

The results of an investigation on the SEU sensitivity for a fiber optic operating system are reported. Measurements were made on the upset cross sections for the system in static and dynamic modes of operation. The heavy ion SEU test facility at Brookhaven and the proton facility at Harvard University were used in this study. Cross sections were obtained for Honeywell transmitter and reciever devices operating in a system at a frequency of 100 kHz. Both devices were independently irradiated. The results show that the dynamic mode was the worst case, and the receiver was the most sensitive part type in the system. The threshold linear energy transfer (LET) for the receiver was determined to be 1.6 MeV sq cm/mg for the three input signals used in the tests, which were: a continuous high state, a low state, and a 100 kHz square wave.

Label, Ken↗
NASA NTRS2001

Radiation protection using Martian surface materials in human exploration of Mars

To develop materials for shielding astronauts from the hazards of GCR, natural Martian surface materials are considered for their potential as radiation shielding for manned Mars missions. The modified radiation fluences behind various kinds of Martian rocks and regolith are determined by solving the Boltzmann equation using NASA Langley's HZETRN code along with the 1977 Solar Minimum galactic cosmic ray environmental model. To develop structural shielding composite materials for Martian surface habitats, theoretical predictions of the shielding properties of Martian regolith/polyimide composites has been computed to assess their shielding effectiveness. Adding high-performance polymer binders to Martian regolith to enhance structural properties also enhances the shielding properties of these composites because of the added hydrogenous constituents. Heavy ion beam testing of regolith simulant/polyimide composites is planned to validate this prediction. Characterization and proton beam tests are performed to measure structural properties and to compare the shielding effects on microelectronic devices, respectively.

NASA Center LaRC↗
NASA NTRS2010

Interpreting Space-Mission LET Requirements for SEGR in Power MOSFETs

A Technology Computer Aided Design (TCAD) simulation-based method is developed to evaluate whether derating of high-energy heavy-ion accelerator test data bounds the risk for single-event gate rupture (SEGR) from much higher energy on-orbit ions for a mission linear energy transfer (LET) requirement. It is shown that a typical derating factor of 0.75 applied to a single-event effect (SEE) response curve defined by high-energy accelerator SEGR test data provides reasonable on-orbit hardness assurance, although in a high-voltage power MOSFET, it did not bound the risk of failure.

Lauenstein, J. M.↗
NASA NTRS2016

An Evaluation of Flash Cells Used in Critical Applications

Due to the common use of Flash technology in many commercial and industrial Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs) such as FPGAs and mixed-signal microcontrollers, flash technology is being utilized in fuzed munition applications. This presents a long-term reliability issue for both DoD and NASA safety- and mission-critical applications. A thorough understanding of the data retention failure modes and statistics associated with Flash data retention is of vital concern to the fuze safety community. A key retention parameter for a flash cell is the threshold voltage (VTH), which is an indirect indicator of the amount of charge stored on the cells floating gate. Initial test results based on a study of charge loss in flash cells in an FPGA device is presented. Statistical data taken from a small sample set indicates quantifiable charge loss for devices stored at both room temperature and 150 C. Initial evaluation of the distribution of threshold voltage in a large sample set (800 devices) is presented. The magnitude of charge loss from exposure to electrostatic discharge and electromagnetic fields is measured and presented. Simulated data (and measured data as available) resultant from harsh-environment testing (neutron, heavy ion, EMP) is presented.

data retention↗
NASA NTRS2016

An Evaluation of Flash Cells Used in Critical Applications

Due to the common use of Flash technology in many commercial and industrial Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs) such as FPGAs and mixed-signal microcontrollers, flash technology is being utilized in fuzed munition applications. This presents a long-term reliability issue for both DoD and NASA safety- and mission-critical applications. A thorough understanding of the data retention failure modes and statistics associated with Flash data retention is of vital concern to the fuze safety community. A key retention parameter for a flash cell is the threshold voltage (VTH), which is an indirect indicator of the amount of charge stored on the cells floating gate. Initial test results based on a study of charge loss in flash cells in an FPGA device is presented. Statistical data taken from a small sample set indicates quantifiable charge loss for devices stored at both room temperature and 150 C. Initial evaluation of the distribution of threshold voltage in a large sample set (800 devices) is presented. The magnitude of charge loss from exposure to electrostatic discharge and electromagnetic fields is measured and presented. Simulated data (and measured data as available) resultant from harsh-environment testing (neutron, heavy ion, EMP) is presented.

Data Retention↗
NASA NTRS2021

Dealing with Ion LET Uncertainties: An Application of Generalized Linear Models

Although most SEE rate estimation methods presume a fit to SEE cross section vs. LET, fitting SEE data is challenging because the data are not compatible with the assumptions of many common fitting techniques (e.g. linear regression. The difficulty of fitting such data is compounded when the LET of the ion responsible for an SEE is uncertain. We modify a Generalized Linear Model SEE data fitting methodology to accommodate uncertain LET and apply the method to the problem of backside heavy-ion SEE testing to demonstrate the utility of the method, explore the dependence of systematic errors that arise from improper treatment of LET uncertainty and develop guidelines for minimizing such systematic errors when proper treatment is not possible. Additional applications are suggested and assessed for suitability of treatment by the model.

Single-event effects↗
NASA NTRS2015

Use of Proton SEE Data as a Proxy for Bounding Heavy-Ion SEE Susceptibility

Although heavy-ion single-event effects (SEE) pose serious threats to semiconductor devices in space, many missions face difficulties testing such devices at heavy-ion accelerators. Low-cost missions often find such testing too costly. Even well funded missions face issues testing commercial off the shelf (COTS) due to packaging and integration. Some missions wish to fly COTS systems with little insight into their components. Heavy-ion testing such parts and systems requires access to expensive and hard-to-access ultra-high energy ion accelerators, or significant system modification. To avoid these problems, some have proposed using recoil ions from high-energy protons as a proxy to bound heavy-ion SEE rates.

reliability estimation↗
NASA NTRS2015

Schottky Diode Derating for Survivability in a Heavy Ion Environment

In this paper, we irradiate a number of silicon power Schottky diodes from a variety of manufacturers. The tested diodes represent a wide assortment of reverse voltages and forward currents. Additionally, we review correlations between single-event failures in Schottky diodes and device electrical parameters. The spatial locations of failures in the diode are discussed, as well as a possible explanation for why the failures occur. Based on these correlations to date, we propose a derating scheme for Schottky diodes flown in a heavy ion environment and suggest screening procedures for decreasing the risks of such failures.

Radiation effects↗