Teledyne e2v confirms ADC is fit for space
In the quest for mixed-signal technology that is capable of delivering “exceptional” degrees of reliability, Teledyne e2v claims that its EV12AQ600 is the industry’s first four-channel ADC to be qualified for space deployment.
The EV12AQ600 has shown that it can withstand a total ionising dose (TID) of 150kRad. The TID and single event effects (SEE) results mean that the ADC is suitable for space applications like long-term missions or GEO satellites. The ADC passed multi-axis mechanical shock and vibration tests, electrostatic discharge (ESD), extreme temperature and thermal cycling test procedures to meet NASA and ESA requirements, complying with the stringent MIL-PRF-38535 (QML-Y) and ESCC 9000 standards.
Teledyne e2v’s EV12AQ600 series devices are already employed in mission-critical military and avionics applications. The 12-bit ADCs support 1.6Gsamples per second data sampling rates on each of the four channels, or 6.4Gsamples per second across a single channel when interleaved. According to the company, studies have shown that they do not exhibit the poor interface stability witnessed on devices from other ADC manufacturers when placed into a space environment.
Other attributes that will be beneficial for space applications are the cross-point switch which is situated after the inputs. This allows to ADC to be reconfigured remotely, once the hardware it has been incorporated into is in orbit. The number of channels, the bit rate and the dynamic range can all be altered via the accompanying FPGA for new functional requirements. This inherent flexibility also facilitates design re-use, says Teledyne e2v, with engineers adapting the original system to suit different application criteria. As a result, development times can be accelerated significantly, and less engineering resources required, claims Teledyne e2v. The company’s inclusion in the Xilinx ecosystem (XQRKU060) for space implementations, means that a collection of FPGA libraries is available to assist with project development work.
Nicolas Chantier, marketing director at Teledyne e2v, commented that customers can “benefit from flight-proven TRL9 technology, without the need for any further qualification effort,” adding that lead times are short, due to inventory being available now, with samples available now.
