Radiation-hard nanotechnology for space systems-on-chip

Agustin Fernandez LEON, ESA

Satellites, space probes and rovers use complex systems-on-chip to control their movements in space, to run experiments on-board, and to communicate. 
These microchips constitute the actual brain-power of all spacecraft, and they have to survive harsh radiation and temperature environments. 
Over decades ESA has been actively supporting the definition and development of robust microprocessors, Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) and Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs) 
that make use of semiconductor technology with minimum feature sizes in the nanometer scale, always combined with smart design techniques that boost up the radiation hardness. 

 
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