Asynchronous A/D Converter for In Situ Instruments Operating under Extreme Environments

Space missions often require in situ instruments capable of taking measurements, performing computation/communication, and executing control under extreme environments such as cryogenic temperature and heavy radiation. While external protection mechanisms are currently utilized to isolate the microelectronic circuits incorporated by these instruments from drastic environmental temperature swings in order to avoid system malfunction, they induce additional mass, volume, and power consumption, and reduce reliability. This project will investigate the feasibility of designing advanced microelectronic integrated circuits that can sustain the extreme space environment while maintaining stable and reliable performance without external protection, through the design, fabrication, and testing of an innovative asynchronous analog-to-digital converter, which is a critical component of many space instruments.

This project investigtes the feasibility of designing advanced microelectronic integrated circuits that can sustain the extreme space environment while maintaining stable and reliable performance without external protection.

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