Any off-the-shelf component utilized in a space application will likely degrade and fail prematurely once exposed to the severity of the space environment. But not all is lost, as a wealth of ruggedization techniques are able to meet the challenges of this unforgiving environment. In this article, we review the effect of radiation on passive and active electronic components and the technologies, processes and device techniques that make them radiation-tolerant or radiation-hard. Subsequently we discuss Alphacore’s design of a radiation-hardened dc-dc converter at the heart of a space power management and distribution system. Able to properly function at up to 200 Mrad of TID, the converter can operate within the large hadron collider at CERN, and in space satellite and probe missions.
By Nazzareno (Reno) Rossetti, Alphacore, Tempe, Ariz.
