Renesas Electronics Introduces Rad-Hard 16-Channel Current Driver For Satellite Applications

Renesas Electronics Corporation recently introduced a new radiation-hardened 16-channel current driver. It is integrated with 4-bit decoder that helps in size, power, and weight reductions of telemetry system and satellite command. 

 

 

Named as ISL72814SEH, it integrates the 16 current driver arrays, input level shifter, and decoder in a single monolithic IC. The device permits the satellite manufacturers to enhance system capacity and bring down solution footprint up to 50% for their MEO (Medium Earth Orbit), HEO (Highly Elliptical Orbit), GEO (Geosynchronous Earth Orbit) as well as deep space mission profiles. 

 

 

Multiple ISL72814SEH current drivers can send 28V/500mA pulses for 750ms to above 1, 500 RF switches inside a communication satellite payload. It can also route RF signals to the designated television channels and Internet radio stations. 

 

These current drivers can also send 12V – 30V with 50mA-600mA latching pulses to take control the solenoids and relays that turn on or turn off the charge orbital altitude, propulsion system thrusters, and turn on motor for tilt the solar panels. 

 

The ISL72814SEH provides double of channel count and 54% less VCE(SAT) power dissipation on every channel as compared to other competitive drivers. The integrated level shifter keeps out a number of several peripheral components along with its internal clamp diodes that can eliminate the additional protection circuitry requirements while driving inductive loads. 

 

Renesas provides the ISL72814SEH with its proprietary silicon over the insulator process to offer SEE (Single Event Effects) robustness in the heavy ions surroundings. The integrated decoder of the driver directly interfaces to the usual purpose I/Os of microprocessors and FPGAs in the flight computer of the satellite. It reduces the pin count to quite an extent against 1-input to 1-output driver arrays. 

 

Every single of ISL72814SEH’s 16-channels of common-collector open-emitter PNP driver outputs can produce pulses of upto 700mA and 42V. This device is a wafer acceptance tested for 100krad(Si) over HDR (High Dose Rate) while over LDR (Low Dose Rate) upto 75krad (Si). Characterization testing completes with no SEL (Single Event Latch-up), SETs (Single Event Transients), SEB (Single Event Burnout) at a Linear Energy Transfer (LET) of upto 86MeV*cm2/mg. 

 

As the vice president of Industrial Analog and Power Business Division of Renesas ELectronics Corporation, Philip Chesley, adds, “The ISL72814SEH offers satellite customers the ultimate in radiation immunity, mass and power savings. Our current driver significantly reduces the circuitry required on the bus, enabling manufacturers to add more functionality and processing power to their next generation satellites.”