STMicroelectronics Launches 2.5V Radiation-Hardened D/A Converter for Next-Generation Satellites

China, April 14, 2022 – STMicroelectronics’ RHRDAC121 radiation-hardened digital-to-analog converter (DAC) operates at a minimum voltage of 2.5V, making it suitable for modern low-power system designs that are not supported by older 3.3V digital-to-analog converters.

The new product is a 12-bit 1Msps digital-to-analog converter with a built-in successive approximation register (SAR) . It consumes only 0.6mW at the highest conversion rate and supply voltage. This low-power design helps reduce the size, weight and power (SWaP) of next-generation satellites. Typical applications include telemetry, housekeeping and precision sensor gain adjustment. Functional features include SPI-compatible serial output, internal voltage reference and automatic power-on reset to zero volt output. These features can achieve high accuracy with minimal external components, reducing circuit complexity and board area.

RHRDAC121 maintains stable performance parameters under harsh conditions up to 100krad(Si) total ionizing dose (TID), has no single event latch-up (SEL) effect under conditions up to 125MeV.cm²/mg , and has tested and analyzed single event transient (SET) and single event upset (SEU) effects. Therefore, this product can be directly deployed in actual applications without further screening devices according to higher standards.

The RHRDAC121 is certified to the QML-V standard and is available in a gold-wire or solder-dip lead sealed ceramic package, and is also available as a bare die product. The new product is designed and manufactured in Europe using ST's well-established 130nm full CMOS technology, which has been developed over 45 years in the aerospace industry. The development of the new DAC was funded by the French space agency CNES (Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales).