Xilinx Hardens Gate Arrays Against Radiation

Xilinx has introduced the XQR4000XL family of radiation-hardened, SRAM-based FPGA devices as part of its QPRO line of high-reliability products. The XQR4000XL devices are rated at 60,000 Rads and utiliize a 0.35micron epitaxial CMOS process. This provides latch-up immunity, high total ionizing dose tolerance and low probability of single event upsets induced by natural radiation in satellite and other space environments.

Initial products in the new line include the XQR4036XL, XQR4062XL, and XQR4013XL devices, which offer densities up to 30,000, 65,000 and 130,000 system gates, respectively. Total ionizing dose (TID) testing was performed at Lockheed Martin Missiles & Space in Sunnyvale, Calif., using a Co-60 source. The XQR devices are rated at 60,000 Rads with all parameters within specification.

Heavy ion testing was performed at the Single Events Effects Facility of Brookhaven National Laboratories in Upton, N.Y., to measure sensitivity to both single event latch-up (SEL) and single event upset (SEU). The XQR devices exhibited latch-up immunity for space environments with linear transfer energy (LET) greater than 100 MeV-cm2/mg at temperatures up to 125 degrees C.

Probability of soft upsets induced by galactic heavy ions is 9.5E-8 upset/bit-day for a typical low earth orbit and 2.3E-7
upset/bit-day a typical geosynchronous earth orbit, respectively.

“Xilinx has seen increasing demand for our FPGAs by customers in the space market,” said Rick Padovani, director of the Xilinx High Reliability Business Unit.

“Most everyone agrees that FPGAs are an excellent fit for satellite systems. Until now, devices with the right combination of radiation performance, flexibility and cost efficiency weren’t available. We are very excited about offering a reprogrammable, high-density logic solution considered important by this market.”

Xilinx is working with customers on design implementations that will allow FPGA-based satellite equipment to be reconfigured remotely much as terrestrial electronic systems are today. A number of Xilinx customers now reprogram FPGA-based products in the field remotely to update diagnostics systems, for example, or bring communications gear into compliance with changing standards.

The XQR4036XL device is available now. Package is the 228-pin ceramic quad flat pack CB228. The device is offered to full military temperature range (M-grade) minus 55 degrees C to plus 125 degrees C and is manufactured on the Xilinx QML certified line. List price for the XQR4036XL-3CB228M in 100 piece quantities is $4,500. Xilinx is also accepting orders for the
XQR4013XL and the XQR4062XL devices, which will be available latter this year.

Xilinx

Founded in 1984 and headquartered in San Jose, Xilinx invented the field programmable gate array (FPGA) and commands more than half of the world market for these devices today. Xilinx solutions enable customers to reduce significantly the time required to develop products for the computer, peripheral, telecommunications, networking, industrial control, instrumentation, high-reliability/military, and consumer markets.