Rad-tolerant power modules are tested to 50krad says Vicor
Tested and proven resiliency to 50 kilorad of total ionising dose, power modules in the plated SM-ChiP package are also immune to single event upsets, says Vicor.
The company’s first radiation-fault-tolerant DC/DC converter power modules are capable of powering low voltage ASICs of up to 300W from a 100V nominal power source. The ChiPs were tested by Boeing to be resilient to 50krad of total ionising dose and immune to single event upsets, the company reports. Immunity to single event upsets is achieved using a redundant architecture, where two identical and parallel powertrains with fault-tolerant control ICs are housed in a single, high-density SM-ChiP package.
Advanced communication satellites require high power density and low noise. Vicor soft-switching, high-frequency ZCS/ZVS power stages within metal-shielded ChiPs, reduce the power system noise floor. As a result, signal integrity and total system performance reach the requisite high level of reliability, adds the company.
The complete power source to point of load (PoL) portfolio consists of four SM-ChiPs. The BCM3423 is a 100V nominal, 300W K = 1/3 bus converter in a 34 x 23mm package. The PRM2919 is a 33V nominal 200W regulator in a 29 x 19mm package. There are two VTM2919 current multipliers, a K = 1/32 with an output of 0.8V at 150A and a K = 1/8 with an output of 3.4V at 50A. The ASIC is powered directly from the 100V power source with minimal external components and low-noise operation.
All of the modules are available in the Vicor high-density SM-ChiP package with ball grid array (BGA) connections and optional solder mask for the top and bottom surfaces.
The ChiP packages are capable of operating at a temperature range of -30 to +125 degrees C.
Evaluation boards and samples are also available.
Vicor designs, develops, manufactures and markets modular power components and complete power systems based upon a portfolio of patented technologies. Headquartered in Andover, Massachusetts, Vicor sells its products to the power systems market, including enterprise and high-performance computing, industrial equipment and automation, telecommunications and network infrastructure, vehicles and transportation, and aerospace and defence.
