On-board electronics play a crucial role in the operation and control of spacecraft, enabling navigation, communication, and data processing. As the space electronics application domain is exponentially growing due to the exponentially growing satellite industry, the radiation effects on electronic devices become the primary concern for creating the radiation rated electronics supply chain. Space-based components essentially means radiation hardened circuitry, which has to be rigorously tested to make sure the circuit works as intended without disruption during the lifetime of the mission. However, testing capacity in aerospace is an ongoing challenge, with only a few facilities in the world offering single-event effects testing; which is one of the primary ways of radiation hardness assurance testing of microelectronic devices and integrated circuits. By collaborating with TI and MSU FRIB, we explored both technical and methodological ways of testing analog-to-digital (ADC) integrated circuits using relativistic heavy ion beam and UV-flash-light-photoemission microscopy. The main objective was to understand the single-event latchup (SEL) phenomenon, assess its impact and effects on the performance parameters of ADCs, determine SEL susceptibility, and identify specific areas within ADC architectures that are most prone to SEL.
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