Pr el i mi na r y v 1. 2
RadTolerant RAD-PAK
®
Field Programmable Gate Arrays
Featur es
Radiation Characteristics
• Highly Predictable Performance with 100% Automatic
Place and Route
• 100% Resource Utilization with 100% Pin-Locking
• Secure Programming Technology Prevents Reverse
Engineering and Design Theft
• Permanently Programmed for Operation on Power-Up
• Unique In-System Diagnostic and Debug Facility with
Silicon Explorer
• Actel Designer Series Design Tools, Supported by
Cadence, Exemplar, Mentor Graphics, Model Technology,
Synopsys, Synplicity and Viewlogic Design Entry and
Simulation Tools
Gen era l D es cr i pt i on
• RAD-PAK
®
Package Technology from Space Electronics,
Inc.
• Improved Total Ionizing Dose (TID) Survivability
– Can Improve TID 2-10x Over Standard Package
– Can Achieve > 100 KRads (Si) in Some Orbits
• Packages: 172-Pin and 256-Pin RAD-PAK
®
Ceramic Quad
Flat Pack
• Offered as E-Flow (Actel Space Level Flow) and Class B
High Density and Performance
• 16,000 and 20,000 Gates
• 8,000 and 10,000 ASIC Equivalent Gates
• Up to 85 MHz On-Chip Performance
• Up to 228 User I/Os
• Up to Four Fast, Low-Skew Clock Networks
Easy Logic Integration
• Non-Volatile, User Programmable
• Pin-Compatible Commercial Devices Available for
Prototyping
P roduct Fami l y P ro file
Device
Gates
ASIC Equivalent Gates
PLD Equivalent Gates
TTL Equivalent Package
20-Pin PAL Equivalent Packages
Logic Modules
S-Modules
C-Modules
User I/Os
CQFP Package Pin Count
Performance System Speed (Maximum)
Ordering Information
Part Number (Class B)
Part Number (E-Flow)
Commercial Equivalent for Prototyping
Actel builds the most reliable field programmable gate arrays
(FPGAs) in the industry, with overall antifuse reliability
ratings of less than 10 failures-in-time (FITs), corresponding
to a useful life of more than 40 years. Actel FPGAs are
production-proven, with more than five million devices
shipped and more than one trillion antifuses manufactured.
Actel devices are fully tested prior to shipment, with an
out-going defect level of only 122 ppm. (Further reliability
data is available in the “Actel Device Reliability Report” at
http://www.actel.com/hirel).
RP1280A
16,000
8,000
20,000
200
80
1,232
624
608
140
172
40 MHz
RP1280A-CQ172B
RP1280A-CQ172E
A1280A-CQ172C
RP14100A
20,000
10,000
25,000
250
100
1,377
697
680
228
256
60 MHz
RP14100A-CQ256B
RP14100A-CQ256E
A14100A-CQ256C
O cto b e r 1 9 9 9
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© 1999 Actel Corporation
Additionally, the programmable architecture of both the
RP1280A and RP14100A offers high performance, design
flexibility, and fast and inexpensive prototyping—all without
the expense of test vectors, NRE charges, long lead times, and
schedule and cost penalties for design refinements.
Recently, Actel joined with Space Electronics, Inc. (SEi) to
combine Actel’s antifuse-based FPGAs with SEi’s RAD-PAK
®
package shielding technology. This technology incorporates
radiation shielding in the FPGA package, eliminating the
requirement for box- or board-level shielding and significantly
improving the total ionizing dose survivability of Actel
devices. The RP1280A and the RP14100A provide a
high-reliability, low-risk, and fast time-to-launch solution that
survives in a wide subset of Earth orbits and deep space
environments.
The RP1280A device uses the A1280A die in a RAD-PAK
®
package. This device is from the ACT 2 Family of Actel FPGAs,
and it utilizes a two-module architecture that consists of
combinatorial modules (C-modules) and sequential modules
(S-modules) optimized for both combinatorial and sequential
designs. Based on Actel’s patented channeled array
architecture, the RP1280A has 8,000 ASIC-equivalent gates
and 140 user I/Os.
The RP1280A device is fully pin- and function-compatible
with the commercially-equivalent A1280A-CQ172C device for
easy and inexpensive prototyping.
The RP14100A device uses the A14100A die in a RAD-PAK
®
package. This device is from the ACT 3 Family of Actel
devices, which also utilizes the two-module architecture. The
RP14100A offers additional device resources above the
RP1280A, including increased gates (10,000 gate array
equivalent gates), higher I/Os (228), and faster performance.
The RP14100A device is fully pin- and function-compatible
with the commercially-equivalent A14100A-CQ256C device for
easy and inexpensive prototyping.
R adi ati on S urvivability
the Actel Web site at:
http://www.actel.com/hirel
Rad iat ion P e r fo r m ance
of RAD-P AK
®
F PG As
The components of natural radiation in space consist of
trapped electrons, trapped protons, galactic cosmic rays,
solar flare protons, and alpha particles. Depending on the
orbit or deep space probe mission, the energy levels and
magnitude of each component will vary. Since shielding
effectiveness is dependent on the radiation component type
and its energy level, the overall performance of RAD-PAK
®
FPGAs will vary with the application. Figure 1 and Figure 2
show typical applications for two different orbits. These
figures show the amount of mission dose that can be expected
when a given amount of shielding is utilized for the two
sample orbits.
A closer examination of the box shielding and RAD-PAK
®
shielding shows how the specific requirements for
components are originated. Figure 3 shows a typical orbit of
705 km, 98 degrees, for 5 years. Under these conditions,
typical satellite designers might have a 40 to 120 mil
aluminum box shield between the components and the
outside environment. The figure shows that a shield of
average thickness yields approximately 10 KRad (Si) inside
the box shield. This specification becomes a design
requirement for all of the active components in the satellite.
When the RAD-PAK
®
shielding is added to the box shielding,
as shown by the RP line, the total dose seen by the component
is only 2.4 KRad (Si).
When a second orbit (35,790 km, 0 degrees, for 5 years) is
examined using the same methodology, similar results can be
achieved at higher total dose levels. Figure 4 shows that
average box shielding provides protection to 250 KRad(Si).
Use of the RAD-PAK
®
design brings the total dose seen at the
device level down to 5.8 KRad (Si).
The above discussion shows how use of RAD-PAK
®
products
can shield significant levels of total dose seen at the die level.
The ability of the Actel FPGA die to meet these lower levels of
total dose radiation make the RAD-PAK
®
FPGAs a design
choice for many space applications.
For proper application of the RAD-PAK
®
FPGA products, the
following information should be available:
• Orbit or mission
• Satellite level shielding thickness and type
or
• Mission dose vs. shielding thickness curves
Actel personnel can then assist in determining whether the
RAD-PAK
®
FPGA devices are usable for the customer’s
application and radiation requirements.
The bare die of both the RP1280A and RP14100A devices have
some inherent total dose radiation survivability. The levels at
which these bare die are able to survive varies by lot and
device type. Actel provides Group E testing on the bare die
that gives an indication of the lot characteristics. These
results are provided for reference and customer evaluation,
and the testing is performed to MIL-STD-883, Method 1019.5
by Space Electronics, Inc.
The radiation survivability levels of the RAD-PAK
®
devices
vary due to a number of factors. The customer must
evaluate and determine the applicability of these devices to
their specific design and environmental requirements.
A summary of the radiation performance of Actel products
(“Radiation Performance of Actel Products”) can be found on
2
R a d T o l e ra n t RA D-PA K
®
Fie ld P rogrammabl e Gate A rr ays
1.0E+07
1.0E+06
1.0E+05
Mission Dose (rads(Si))
Total Dose
1.0E+04
Protons
1.0E+03
1.0E+02
Electrons
1.0E+01
Solar Protons
1.0E+00
0
0. 1
0. 2
0. 3
0.4
0.5
0. 6
0. 7
0.8
0.9
1
Normalized Shielding Thickness
Figure 1 •
Space-Level Total Dose: Typical Orbit—705km, 98°, 5 years
1.0E+10
Protons
1.0E+09
1.0E+08
1.0E+07
Mission Dose (rads(Si))
1.0E+06
1.0E+05
1.0E+04
1.0E+03
Solar Protons
1.0E+02
1.0E+01
1.0E+00
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
1
Normalized Shielding Thickness
Electrons
Total Dose
Figure 2 •
Space-Level Total Dose: Typical Orbit—35,790 km, 0°, 5 years
3
1.0E+07
1.0E+06
1.0E+05
Mission Dose (rads(Si))
Box and Standard
Package Shielding
1.0E+04
1.0E+03
1.0E+02
RAD-PAK®
1.0E+01
1.0E+00
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
1
Normalized Shielding Thickness
Figure 3 •
RAD-PAK
®
Total Dose Shielding: Typical Orbit—705 km, 98°, 5 years
1.0E+10
1.0E+09
1.0E+08
1.0E+07
Mission Dose (rads(Si))
1.0E+06
1.0E+05
1.0E+04
1.0E+03
1.0E+02
1.0E+01
1.0E+00
0
0.1
0.2
0.3
0.4
0.5
0.6
0.7
0.8
0.9
1
Normalized Shielding Thickness
Box and Standard
Package Shielding
RAD-PAK®
Figure 4 •
RAD-PAK
®
Total Dose Shielding: Typical Orbit—35,790 km, 0°, 5 years
4
R a d T o l e ra n t RA D-PA K
®
Fiel d Progr ammable G at e Ar rays
D i s cl aim er
All radiation performance information is provided for
information purposes only and is not guaranteed. The total
dose effects on the bare die is lot-dependent, and Actel does
not warrant that future devices will continue to exhibit
similar radiation characteristics. In addition, due to the
nature of RAD-PAK
®
shielding, actual performance can vary
widely due to a variety of factors, including but not limited to,
characteristics of the orbit, radiation environment, proximity
to satellite exterior, amount of inherent shielding from other
sources within the satellite and actual bare die variations.
For these reasons, Actel does not warrant any level of
radiation survivability, and it is solely the responsibility of the
customer to determine whether the device will meet the
requirements of the specific design.
D es ign Tool Su p p o rt
In addition, the RAD-PAK
®
devices are supported by Actel’s
Silicon Explorer diagnostic and debugging tool kit. Silicon
Explorer dramatically reduces verification time from several
hours per cycle to a few seconds by enabling real-time,
in-circuit debugging. Silicon Explorer includes:
• Probe Pilot, a high-speed signal acquisition and control
tool that samples data at 100 MHz (asynchronous) or 66
MHz (synchronous). Probe Pilot features 18 probing
channels and connects to the user’s PC via a standard
serial port connection.
• Diagnostic software, which turns the PC into a
fully-featured, 100 MHz logic analyzer for easy graphical
analysis of waveforms.
Silicon Explorer’s internal probe circuitry enables
100 percent observability into a device’s internal nodes.
Sliicon Explorer also functions as an 18-channel logic
analyzer that automatically displays signals on the board.
As with all Actel FPGAs, RAD-PAK
®
devices are fully
supported by Actel’s Designer Series development tools,
which include:
• DirectTime for automated, timing-driven place and route
• ACTgen for fast development using a wide range of macro
functions
Designer Series supports industry-leading VHDL- and
Verilog-based design tools, including synthesis tools from
industry leaders such as Exemplar Logic, Synplicity, and
Synopsys.
1
1. Designer Series also supports design entry and simulation tools from Cadence,
Exemplar, Mentor Graphics, Model Technology, Synopsys, Synplicity and
Viewlogic.
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