Low-Power Radiation Tolerant 4GHz Bandwidth 16k Channel Spectrometer ASIC

Spectrometers currently employed by NASA include field programmable arrays (FPGAs), analog to digital converters (ADCs) and a number of other discrete components assembled on a printed circuit board (PCB). An application specific integrated circuit (ASIC) based spectrometer offers a great reduction in weight, volume and power consumption compared to the off-the-shelf component based implementation. The 2nd generation (Gen 2) ASIC based spectrometer was successfully demonstrated by to provide 4GHz of bandwidth and 488kHz spectral resolution using less than 2W of power. This proposal aims to maturate the spectrometer technology by developing the 3rd generation (Gen 3) ASIC and commercializing it by providing the ASIC and board level solutions. The proposed ASIC aims to achieve a 4GHz bandwidth and 8192 usable frequency bins. In order to implement the required functionality and meet the specifications while consuming below 2W of power, the proposed ASIC includes a state-of-the-art 6-bit ADC, a demultiplexer, a poly-phase filter bank, a windowing function, a fast-Fourier-transform core, a frequency-domain data analysis block, a data readout block, a digital control unit and testing features. The Gen 3 ASIC will also have increased tolerance to single event effects (SEEs) when exposed to heavy ion beams. Tolerance to at least 500Krads of the total ionizing dose (TID) radiation will be achieved by implementing the ASIC using an ultra-thin gate oxide CMOS technology. Previously developed the 1st generation (Gen 1) and Gen 2 ASICs were used in several NASA and commercial spectrometer instruments. Within the proposed project, the Gen 3 ASIC and two and four ASIC based board level solutions will be produced, tested, and provided to NASA.

The proposed project represents a core technology for microwave hyperspectral remote sensing for significantly improving the vertical resolution of temperature and humidity profiles. The technique is essential for the Hyperspectral Microwave Photonic Instrument (HyMPI). Other applications include Submillimeter Solar Observations of Lunar Volatiles Experiment (SSOLVE), Venus Wideband Submillimeter Heterodyne Spectrometer (V-WiSHeS) and instruments required for the Planetary Boundary Layer (PBL) estimation.

The proposed ASIC will have a niche in satellite-based Earth observation systems providing information relating to the physical, biological, and chemical compositions of the Earth to be used for monitoring, surveillance, and decision-making in various areas. Other applications include optical spectrometers as well as RF spectrum analysis instruments used, for example, in cellular communications.

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