STMicroelectronics Strengthens Rad-Hard Analog Family for Aerospace

Achieving full QML V certification for innovative analog amplifier family

Korea, September 23, 2011 – STMicroelectronics ( www.st.com ), the world’s leading integrated semiconductor company and aerospace leader, has announced the expansion of its European Rad-Hard space portfolio with four new amplifiers that have been officially certified as QML V. Achieving QML V certification strengthens ST’s family of analog radiation-hardened devices that are extremely robust and can operate under the extreme environmental conditions encountered in space, ensuring longer device endurance.

“According to the Satellite Industry Association, the global satellite industry is stable and growing steadily,” said Alberto De Marco, General Manager, ST’s High Reliability and Standard Products Division. “It achieved an average annual industry growth rate of 11.2% over the past five years, and the global market size in 2010 was 168.1 billion dollars,” he said. “As satellites are increasingly used in daily life, such as in entertainment, navigation, and communications, the function and reliability of electronic components that can withstand high levels of radiation generated in space, such as the new product launched this time, are becoming very important.”

ST is setting a benchmark for the aerospace industry by establishing its own standard hardness (TID, Total Ionization Dose hardness) for ionizing radiation at low dose rate (radiation dose per unit time) conditions of 300 krad (Si), making it the first to offer RNA (Hardness Assurance) certified products incorporating ELDRS-free (Enhanced Low Dose Rate Sensitivity free) ICs.

ST also offers the highest hardness against damage caused by heavy ions by implementing Single Event Latch-up (SEL)-free and Single Event False Interrupt (SEFI)-free components. With these new products, ST continues its market leadership by providing protection against transient glitches caused by heavy ions, called Single Event Transients (SETs), which are particularly problematic for analog components used in space.

- The new products include: The RHF484, a quad version of the RHF43B and a replacement for the industry standard. It is available in a flat-14W package and was QML V certified in August 2011.
- The RHF310 and RHF330 are ultra-low-power 5V operational amplifiers optimized for a variety of single-condition applications. The 120MHz and 1.0GHz versions have already obtained QML V certification. The 550MHz RHF350 is expected to be certified in Q4 2011.

ST's space-grade analog components are designed to provide special attenuation of Single Event Transients (SETs) and are fully characterized for low amplitude and small duration glitches.

All of ST's Rad-Hard analog ICs offer very low power consumption and are designed using BICMOS technology. Once space-qualified, these devices will be added to the EPPL (European Product Part List) and will receive active support from the CNES (Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales).

Key features of ST QML V analog products
• QML V certified 300krad (Si) TID (Total Ionizing Dose)
• ELDRS (Enhanced Low Dose Rate Sensitivity) free
• Supports Single Event Latch up (SEL) tolerance at 110 MeV/mg/cm² @ 125 °C
• Complete characterization of SET
• Sealed package
• Obtained certification for export to Europe

About semiconductors for aerospace
A key requirement for space components is the ability to withstand radiation encountered in space due to a variety of sources, including the Van Allen radiation belts, solar wind and solar flares, and galactic cosmic rays.

Radiation hardened or Rad-Hard devices can operate in these environments with nominal performance and long lifetimes even when exposed to various particles, common protons, electrons, heavy ions, etc. Transient operation of semiconductor devices, especially analog products, is important when exposed to heavy ions.

The Total Ionization Dose (TID) test measures the intensity in krad (Si) of ionization normally caused by protons and electrons of a product under given dose rate conditions (which may be high, low, or enhanced low).

The hardness to heavy ions is measured by testing on a certified device that verifies the effect on each component by increasing the energy until failure occurs. Various BICMOS analog product tests include:

- SEL (Single Event Latch Up)
- SET (Single Event Transient)
- SEFI (Single Event False Interrupt)

The aerospace industry’s need for high reliability goes beyond radiation requirements. Accredited organizations such as the European Space Components Committee (ESCC) or the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA), formerly known as the Defense Supply Columbus Center (DSCC), maintain specifications that outline how suppliers can become certified and how certified suppliers can manufacture and certify devices.

ST is an active member of these organizations (ST was the first to receive ESCC certification in 1977) and provides aerospace products based on all of these globally recognized quality systems.

QML V components are certified and manufactured to specifications such as Military Standard MIL-STD-38535 and Military Standard MIL-STD-883 issued by the Defense Logistics Agency (DLA). QML V certification includes reliability and radiation testing formally defined by the QML V specification.