VORAGO Technologies Receives NASA SBIR Award for Latch-up Protection ICPress Release
August 14, 2019
The new project to create a radiation-hardened Latch-up protection IC is consistent with VORAGO's technology expertise and commercial objectives. The project addresses NASA's requirement for state-of-the-art IC solutions that are cost-effective enough to be used in small spacecraft, but with radiation performance that is suitable for longer deep space missions. The Latch-up protection IC will have a ability to monitor up-to eight integrated circuits to determine if they succumb to radiation effects and will reset or disable them in the event of latch-up.
Latch-up is a serious condition that can disrupt operation or destroy commercial integrated circuits that are exposed to space radiation. VORAGO integrated circuits are manufactured using HARDSIL® technology that immunizes them against ionizing radiation and thus makes them suitable to protect less robust devices that are not as effective at mitigating against space radiation effects.
"Designers of space electronics systems sometimes have no choice but to use non-radiation hardened components that present a serious risk of latching-up," said Bernd Lienhard, chief executive officer of VORAGO Technologies. "The new Latch-up Protection IC provides a means to monitor the operation of these risky devices and provides a recovery mechanism to reset or disable them in the event of a breakdown."