Microsemi ProASIC3 FPGAs certified to QML Class Q standards for radiation-tolerant space uses

ALISO VIEJO, Calif., 29 May 2015.Microelectronics experts at the U.S. Defense Logistics Agency (DLA) at Fort Belvoir, Va., have placed the ProASIC3 field programmable gate array (FPGA) from Microsemi Corp. in Aliso Viejo, Calif., on the Qualified Manufacturers List (QML) for Class Q radiation-tolerant devices for use in space.

The listing qualifies the Microsemi radiation-tolerant (RT) ProASIC3 FPGAs to MIL-PRF-38535 QML Class Q military standards, and assures buyers of the ProASIC3 devices that the FPGAs can operate reliably in space and in similar radiation environments.

The devices are the first flash-based FPGAs to receive a QML qualification, Microsemi officials say. A QML designation qualifies a manufacturing process through statistical process control, rather than qualifying each electronic part individually.

"This qualification opens the door for many Microsemi space customers to take advantage of the reprogrammability and easy prototyping of these devices, without the requirement to provide the extra paperwork necessary when using non-qualified products," says Ken O'Neill, director of marketing for space and aviation at Microsemi.

Related: Radiation-tolerant FPGAs for space and high-altitude aviation introduced by Microsemi

Microsemi's RT ProASIC3 FPGAs provide space-flight hardware designers with a radiation-tolerant, reprogrammable, non-volatile logic integration solution, company officials say.

The FPGAs are based on low-power 130 nanometer flash technology that provides immunity against damaging radiation-induced configuration upsets, while eliminating the need for additional code storage devices.

Microsemi's next-generation RTG4 family of FPGAs also will be radiation tolerant, company officials say. For more information contact Microsemi online at www.microsemi.com/products/fpga-soc/fpga-and-soc.