Characterizing commercial off-the-shelf electronics components for space applications

空间环境中的辐射效应是电子设备特别关注的问题，经常导致电子设备因电离或粒子碰撞直接损坏部件而失效。该合作伙伴关系的目标是研究固态驱动器（SSD）和数模转换器（DAC）等商用现成（COTS）组件的辐射效应，以评估其在需要高可靠性的空间仪器中的性能。空间辐射对电子设备的影响主要是通过使用抗辐射部件来减轻的。这些组件使用各种技术设计，包括改变制造材料和在设备内部实现冗余元件，这导致更昂贵的部件。消费级和汽车级COTS组件采用大规模生产方法来降低成本。此外，由于制造技术和先进的器件结构，目前的商业设计通常对TID效应更宽容。与基于旧技术的传统抗辐射器件相比，在现代商业电子产品中展示合适的辐射性能将为更高性能的器件打开大门。该研究项目将使用萨斯喀彻温大学的Co 60辐射室和TRIUMF辐射测试设施来筛选各种商业电子产品。低剂量率Co-60室将提供评估对增强的低剂量率效应的敏感性的能力，TRIUMF的质子束将用于评估组件的单粒子效应。经过验证的COTS组件和低成本筛选策略将为Xiphos提供最重要的机会，将低地球轨道使用的下一代航空电子设备的成本降低几个数量级。该研究项目将使Xiphos等加拿大航空航天公司能够通过从航天级部件转向汽车级部件来降低其航空电子设备的成本，而不会大幅降低可靠性或寿命。

Radiation effects in the space environment is of particular concern to electronics, often causing them to fail either due to ionization or from particles directly damaging components through collision. The goal of the partnership is to study the radiation effects of commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) components such as solid-state drives (SSDs) and digital-to-analog converters (DAC) to evaluate their performance for use in space instrumentation where high reliability is required. Space radiation effects on electronics are primarily mitigated by using radiation-hardened components. These components are designed using a variety of techniques including changing the manufacturing materials and implementing redundant elements inside the device, which results in a more expensive part. Consumer-grade and automotive-grade COTS components utilize mass production methods to lower the costs. In addition, current commercial designs are generally more tolerant to TID effects due to the fabrication technologies and advanced device structures. Demonstrating suitable radiation performance in modern commercial electronics will open the door to higher performance devices when compared to traditional radiation-hardened devices based on older technology. This research project will use the Co60 radiation chambers at the University of Saskatchewan and TRIUMF radiation test facility to screen variety of commercial electronics. The low dose rate Co-60 chamber will provide the capability of evaluating the sensitivity to enhanced low dose rate effects, and the proton beams at TRIUMF will be used to evaluate the single event effects of the components. The validated COTS components and the low-cost screening strategies will provide Xiphos with its most significant opportunity to reduce the cost of next-generation avionics used in low Earth orbit by several orders of magnitude. This research project will enable Canadian aerospace companies like Xiphos to reduce the cost of their avionics units by shifting from space grade parts to automotive grade parts without suffering a substantive reduction in reliability or longevity.