Infineon’s rad-hard semiconductor solutions used on Artemis II
NASA’s Artemis II mission has successfully returned to Earth after ten days in space, having approached the Moon and reached the farthest distance from our planet ever achieved by crewed spaceflight. Radiation-hardened (rad-hard) semiconductor solutions from Infineon performed reliably under the most extreme conditions of deep space. From critical power supply and control systems to data communications, Infineon’s rad-hard devices from its IR HiRel (high reliability) division supported the electronic backbone at the heart of the Orion capsule.
The demands placed on semiconductors in space are immense. Beyond Earth’s protective magnetic field, high-energy particles strike electronic components unimpeded and can permanently damage or destroy them, causing mission failure. Infineon’s rad-hard technology addresses these mechanisms not through passive shielding, but through a semiconductor architecture that is radiation-resistant by design. All products are qualified to the most stringent international space standards, including MIL-PRF-38535 Class V, MIL-PRF-19500, ESA’s ESCC standards and NASA EEE-INST-002, ensuring their reliable performance,
Infineon is also advancing the use of new semiconductor materials in space applications. Gallium nitride (GaN) enables lower switching losses, higher power density and higher switching frequencies – reducing power losses and magnetic component requirements, which translates directly into further weight savings. Built on internal manufacturing capabilities and the process and quality stability that comes with it, Infineon’s rad-hard 100-V GaN transistor, qualified to JANS (Joint Army Navy Space) per MIL-PRF-19500, brings GaN from concept to proven technology for demanding space missions. Infineon’s JANS qualified device is the first and only internally manufactured rad-hard GaN transistor on the market.
Infineon offers a broad rad-hard portfolio spanning Si power MOSFETs and GaN transistors, gate drivers and solid-state relays, in addition to rad-hard memories and radio frequency (RF) devices backed by in-house radiation testing capabilities and guaranteed long-term product availability.
