Design-for-reliability (DfR) of aerospace electronics: Attributes and challenges

The next generation of multi-beam satellite systems that would be able to provide effective interactive communication services will have to operate within a highly flexible architecture. One option to develop such flexibility is to employ microwaves and/or optoelectronic components and to make them reliable. The use of optoelectronic devices, equipments and systems will result indeed in significant improvement in the state-of-the-art only provided that the new designs will suggest a novel and effective architecture that will combine the merits of good functional performance, satisfactory mechanical (structural) reliability and high cost effectiveness. The obvious challenge is the ability to design and fabricate equipment based on EEE components that would be able to successfully withstand harsh space environments for the entire duration of the mission. It is imperative that the major players in the space industry, such as manufacturers, industrial users, and space agencies, understand the importance and the limits of the achievable quality and reliability of optoelectronic devices operated in harsh environments. It is equally imperative that the physics of possible failures is well understood and, if necessary, minimized, and that adequate Quality Standards are developed and employed. The space community has to identify and to develop the strategic approach for validating optoelectronic products. This should be done with consideration of numerous intrinsic and extrinsic requirements for the systems' performance. When considering a particular next generation optoelectronic space system, the space community needs to address the following major issues: proof of concept for this system, proof of reliability and proof of performance. This should be done with taking into account the specifics of the anticipated application. High operational reliability cannot be left to the prognostics and health monitoring/management (PHM) effort and stage, no matter how important and effective such an effort might be. Reliability should be pursued at all the stages of the equipment lifetime: design, product development, manufacturing, burn-in testing and, of course, subsequent PHM after the space apparatus is launched and operated.