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Research Projects >> Power Electronics >> Current Research Project >> Development of Power Circuits for Systems-On-A-Chip (SOAC) and Avionic Applications
Our research focuses on three specific areas: High Voltage Transistor Development: At the heart of SOAC research is the development of SOI high-voltage transistors that can reside adjacent to low voltage devices. These transistors are planned for the integration of smart power circuits for the X2000 initial deliveries and power systems for NASA’s deep space program. The devices fabricated during year one will be tested and refined during year two. Power Electronics: Naturally, with the addition of effective high-voltage transistors, power electronic circuits can be developed on a single chip. The key block for effective power management and distribution is the DC-DC converter. The DC-DC converter will allow the multiple distributions of power supplies from a single source. The basic premise of the DC-DC converter is to store energy in a circuit element such as an inductor and transfer the energy onto a capacitor, thus increasing the value of voltage on the output, which is greater than the input. The prototype is currently in design and is anticipated to be released for fabrication in the fourth quarter of 2002. Current state-of-the-art power converters have not been fully integrated using SOI technology. The work proposed will attempt to fully integrate a DC-DC converter using several sources. JPL will provide the low frequency, high valued inductor. The University of Arkansas will provide the large integrated capacitor. The University of Idaho will provide the high-voltage transistors and the circuit topology for the entire converter. This will continue during year two. Year two work in the integrated power electronics area will include the further development of battery charging components for integrated Lithium Ion batteries, as well as sensitive high voltage circuitry for integrated microgyro controllers. Intelligent Circuitry: Another of research that will continue in year two is the area of self-repairing, fault aware circuitry. For ultra-long life space missions, redundancy alone will not guarantee mission success. This is because redundant systems can support only a finite number of hardware failures. Self-repairing systems will allow the reuse of damaged (non-catastrophic) components and eliminate this barrier. The development of ultra rad-tolerant, self-repairing, fault aware power systems will be a revolutionary step for producing a micro/nano science craft with ultra long life for deep space missions. A secondary product of the technology will be a library of self-repairing mixed-signal circuits. Such a library can be used for construction of mixed-signal systems with long life for deep space applications. |