Radiation-Hardened Point-of-Load Buck Regulators for Space Applications

The effects of radiation on electronic components in the space environment are a key concern for spacecraft designers. As space-grade Field-Programmable Gate Array (FPGA), Digital Signal Processor (DSP), ASIC, and SRAM power-management designs increase in power and complexity, while shifting to lower and tighter tolerance supply voltages, the use of radiation-hardened DC-to-DC power converters has become critical, in order to maintain highly-reliable operation in these harsh environments. This paper presents a practical power-management solution for space, defense and commercial/industrial applications that require small size, design versatility, and radiation tolerance.