COTS-based radiation-hardened power converters
Summary
As reliance on communication and weather satellites grows and space research expands in scope and mission, new technology is required to help speed spaceflight system design and production. The units utilise switching regulators that use peak current mode controlled single-ended forward converter topology with inherent single-event immunity. Offering eight million hours Mean Time Between Failure (MTBF) and up to 87% efficiency – the highest of any standard 120V input space-grade DC-DC power converter, the SA50-120 maximises system performance and reliability. The units are qualified to 100 krad (Si) Total Ionisation Dose (TID) and Single Event Effects (SEE) greater than 80 MeV cm2/mg, and offer synchronisation, a Transitor-Transitor Logic (TTL) on/off command signal, and various protection features. The company’s DC/DC power converters complement its diverse space portfolio of radiation-hardened and radiation-tolerant Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs); microcontrollers (MCUs), microprocessors (MPUs), timing products; semiconductors and point-of-load regulators; and high-reliability electromechanical, mission-critical and space-grade relays – providing designers with total system solutions for a wide variety of applications.