Teledyne e2v First to Have Fully Space-Qualified 4-Channel ADC

GRENOBLE, FRANCE – Media OutReach – 18 June
2021 – Teledyne e2v continues to address the most challenging
of application scenarios, through the supply of mixed-signal technology that is
capable of delivering exceptional degrees of reliability. The company’s EV12AQ600 has
just been confirmed as the industry’s first 4-channel analog-to-digital
converter (ADC) to be qualified for space deployment.

Subjected to comprehensive testing, the EV12AQ600 has shown that
it can withstand a total ionizing dose (TID) of 150kRad. Those results, TID and
SEE, prove that this device is a perfect fit for space applications like
long-term missions or GEO satellites. In addition, the ADC had to endure
multi-axis mechanical shock and vibration tests, plus electro-static discharge
(ESD), extreme temperature and thermal cycling test procedures. Having
successfully passed all of the tests described, it now meets NASA and ESA
requirements, complying with the stringent MIL-PRF-38535 (QML-Y) and ESCC 9000
standards.

Teledyne e2v’s EV12AQ600 series devices are already employed in
numerous mission-critical military and avionics applications, and space
qualification will open up many new opportunities for their usage. These 12-bit
ADCs support 1.6GSps data sampling rates on each of their channels, or 6.4GSps
across a single channel when interleaved. Detailed studies have shown that they
do not exhibit the poor interface stability witnessed on devices from other ADC
manufacturers when placed into a space environment. Consequently, customers can
have full confidence in their long-term operation once they have been deployed
there.

As well as the leading-edge performance and operational
robustness achieved by the EV12AQ600, this ADC has certain other attributes
that will be beneficial for space applications. Thanks to the cross-point
switch which is situated after the inputs, this device is much more versatile
than other solutions. The ADC can easily be reconfigured remotely, once the
hardware it has been incorporated into is in orbit. The number of channels, the
bit rate and the dynamic range can all be altered via the accompanying FPGA –
so that new functional requirements can be attended to. This inherent
flexibility also facilitates design re-use, with engineers able to follow a
platform-based strategy where the original system can be subsequently adapted
to suit different application criteria. Consequently, development times can be
accelerated significantly, with less engineering resources being required. A
comprehensive collection of FPGA libraries are available to further assist with
project development work, leveraging Teledyne e2v’s inclusion in the Xilinx
ecosystem (XQRKU060)
for space implementations.

“Through our space-qualified EV12AQ600 devices, we are able to
offer customers high-performance data converter solutions that are ready to
integrate directly into their systems,” explains Nicolas Chantier, Marketing
Director at Teledyne e2v. “It means that they can benefit from flight-proven
TRL9 technology, without the need for any further qualification effort.” “Also,
with inventory now available, there are much shorter lead times associated with
these ADCs than competing solutions currently on the market. Customers can
therefore get access to samples straight away,” he adds.

The test data relating to space qualification of the EV12AQ600
from Teledyne e2v can be found here: https://semiconductors.teledyneimaging.com/en/products/data-converters/ev12aq600/#prodnav-1