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U.S. Department of Energy
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Future radiation-hardened digital components

Conference · · Trans. Am. Nucl. Soc.; (United States)
OSTI ID:5519172

The producibility of highly complex digital components has advanced greatly within the semiconductor industry. These advances have had both positive and negative impacts with respect to radiation-hardened digital components. This paper addresses state-of-the-art components and provides possible extensions for future capability. Advances in semiconductor processing technology coupled with new materials technology and advanced design/modeling systems provide the potential for improved availability of radiation-hardened digital circuits. Emerging circuits in gallium arsenide offer solutions for very high-speed/high-temperature components that have not been available with silicon technologies to date. Devices with 10,000-gate complexity are available today in custom and semicustom implementations that significantly improve the ability of the system designer to solve specific system requirements at reliability levels much improved over prior techniques. Capability to produce circuits with complexities of 40,000 gates is being developed, and components with gate speeds of 100 ps can be achieved in multiple technologies to satisfy high-speed application needs. The outlook is promising for the future of radiation-hardened digital integrated circuits.

OSTI ID:
5519172
Report Number(s):
CONF-870601-
Journal Information:
Trans. Am. Nucl. Soc.; (United States), Journal Name: Trans. Am. Nucl. Soc.; (United States) Vol. 54; ISSN TANSA
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English