Single Event Effects Test Results and Their Applications to Spacecraft Electronics

Singleeventeffectstestresultsfor37 typicaldevicesusedin satellitesystemsarepresented.Thedatademonstrate thatmoststandardandradiationhardenedlineardevicessuchasoperationalamplie ers,voltagereferences,voltage regulators, comparators, pulse-width modulators,and frequency synthesizersaresusceptibletoheavy-ion-induced effects. The severity of these effects varies for different devices and includes both upset and latchup. For a specie c device, the probability of effects occurring is a nonlinear function of the transient amplitude, such that higher amplitude transients are much less likely to occur. Such effects can have very serious implications for space electronics.However, in most cases, theseeffectscan bemitigated by simpletechniquessuch aspassive e ltering, voting, appropriate parts selection, and, in case of pulse-width modulators, disabling of the internal soft start circuitry.