Radiation-hardened integrated circuits for small satellites and space applications introduced by Cobham
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Cobham plc Advanced Electronic Solutions Space and Semiconductor Solutions segment in Colorado Springs, Colo., is introducing the LeanREL family of radiation-hardened microprocessors, microcontrollers, memory, and interface integrated circuits (ICs) for small satellite and non-traditional spacecraft applications.
LeanREL ICs are for space-flight, military, and aerospace applications that need to operate and survive in harsh environments while remaining cost competitive.
Based on the same QML pedigree and silicon as the company's HiRel solutions, Cobham's LeanREL ICs can enable cost savings of as much as 60 percent, depending on quantities, to extend mission durations beyond that of typical off-the-shelf ICs and speed-up time to market for space applications through rapid prototyping.
"Cobham has created LeanREL as a cost-QML alternative to address the growing need to decrease costs while finding just the right level of reliability and radiation-hardness for classes of missions," says Kevin Jackson, vice president and general manager of Cobham Space and Semiconductor Solutions.
With the rapidly increasing range of space missions, including large constellations, pressure is mounting on systems designers to find integrated circuits that balance the critical tradeoffs between cost, reliability, and radiation hardness, Cobham officials say.
This has given rise to a tiered cost-versus-performance profile with off-the-shelf ICs at the low end, QML at the high end, and LeanREL in between. LeanREL components retain an identical pin-out and footprint to that of their QML counterparts to enable system designers to develop platforms that can span from commercial constellations to QML level missions, Cobham officials say.
Cobham now is introducing a LeanREL Arm microcontroller and Controller Area Network (CAN) transceiver. Later this year the company will offer a LeanREL LEON microprocessor; low voltage differential signaling (LVDS) receiver and driver; synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM); NOR flash memory; and voltage supervisor.
For more information contact Cobham Advanced Electronic Solutions Space and Semiconductor Solutions segment online at www.cobham.com/leanrel.
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