ST further extends range of rad-hard analog products for aerospace

GENEVA, SWITZERLAND: STMicroelectronics announced the expansion of its European Rad-Hard aerospace portfolio with the addition of four amplifiers which have achieved official QML V qualification. The qualification of these devices further extend the solid foundations of ST's analog radiation-hardened devices, which are tremendously robust, able to survive extreme environment conditions such as those found in space, and guarantee prolonged device endurance.

"According to the Satellite Industry Association, the global satellite industry is healthy and growing. Global revenues totaled $168.1 billion in 2010, for an 11.2 percent average annual industry growth rate over the past 5 years(1)," said Alberto De Marco, ST General Manager, High-reliability and Standard Products Division.

"With many of the activities of our lives depending on satellites -- entertainment, navigation, communication -- their functioning and reliability is extremely important, making it critical for electronic components, like those we are introducing today, to withstand the high levels of radiation found in space."

ST has become a reference in the Aerospace industry by establishing its standard hardness to ionizing radiation at 300 krad (Si) (Total Ionization Dose hardness, known as TID), including low dose-rate irradiation, allowing the company to be the first supplier to offer Radiation Hardness Assurance (RHA)-qualified products with Enhanced Low Dose Rate Sensitivity free (ELDRS-free) integrated circuits.

ST is also providing the highest hardness to the damage caused by heavy ions, with Single Event Latch-up (SEL)-free and Single Event False Interrupt (SEFI)-free components. With these new products, ST continues to lead the market by also providing protection against the transient glitches caused by heavy ions, known as Single Event Transients (SETs), that are particularly challenging for analog components used in space.

The extension of the product family includes the following four devices:
* RHF484, a quad version of the RHF43B and an alternative to industry-standard products. Packaged in a Flat-14W, their QML V qualification was achieved in August 2011.
* RHF310 and RHF330, and very low power 5V op amps ideally suited to a wide range of signal-conditioning applications. The 120 MHz and 1.0GHz versions are already QML V qualified. Another device, the 550 MHz RHF350 is expected to be qualified in Q4 2011.

ST's analog space devices have been designed with special attention to Single Event Transients and are fully characterized with low amplitude, small duration glitches.

All of ST's rad-hard analog integrated circuits feature very low power consumption and are designed using BICMOS technologies. These devices are added to the European Product Part List (EPPL) once space qualified, with the active support of the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales (CNES).