A cryogenic 0.35 μm CMOS technology BSIM3.3 model for space instrumentation: Application to a bandgap design

Space instrumentation has to face harsh environmental conditions [1]. These conditions strongly impact the design of scientific instruments as well as electronic circuits. It is particularly important regarding front-end electronics, which have to be integrated very closely to the instruments to ensure high performances. In this case, both sensor and electronics have to face the same thermal and radiative environment, damaging electronics and reducing their lifetime. In those conditions the design of efficient and reliable front-end electronics is a challenging trade-off between performance and reliability. Complementary metal–oxide–semiconductor (CMOS) 0.35 μm technology is widely used in space instrumentation in the frame of Application Specific Integrated Circuits design. It presents a good Total Ionizing Dose (TID) radiation tolerance and offers quite good performance for many analog and digital applications. Furthermore, the reliability of this technology is a real asset for space instruments due to a strong heritage. As a consequence, CMOS 0.35 μm technology remains a good candidate for the purpose of future space electronics design.