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StatusCompleted
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Status date2025-10-29
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Activity Code4F.065
The objective of this activity is to design and develop a Digital Programmable Controller (DPC) ASIC, a competitiveness-enhancing microelectronics building block with applications in several fields such as on-board power control, motor control and I/O management. In addition, microelectronics platform based on XFAB 0.18µ technology will also be developed for future implementation.
Product innovation and development complexity. According to available information, such an integrated RadHard mixed signals microcontroller is a world première.
The DPC brings a cutting-edge solution for all satellite equipment requiring digitization thanks to a microcontroller. Thanks to its fine-tuned feature list, the DPC allows an efficient decentralisation lowering interruptions and communications with OBC.
The component is RadHard by design, its supply chain is totally under TAS control without US content. The DPC has already been embarked in a large perimeter of applications and missions in different domains:
- DPC as Building block for platform Avionics and RTU;
- MOTOR Control;
- General purpose analog & digital I/O bus client, with mil-1553B or CAN interfaces;
- Monitoring and protection;
- Intelligent remote sensors management;
- Demonstration of DPC driven vibrating gyro;
- Used in many prestigious European commercial and institutional space mission.
- Total dose: no drift up to at least 60kRad(Si);
- SEL Hardened > 68 MeV.cm²/mg;
- SEU Hardened > 40 MeV.cm²/mg;
- -55°C to +125°C Operating Temperature Range;
- Reliability 22..29 FIT (65°C junction T°)
- Six independent PWM with complementary outputs
- 16 ADC inputs, 3 DAC outputs, 108 digital IOs
- Low power 120…600 mA @ 3.3V
- Function Segregation for “mission critical” use
- Up to 3 x ~30 MIPS total processing power
- On-chip bandgap and PLL
DPC Si RadHard by design, intensively RAD Tested (more than 100 hours in Cyclotron) and does not include any US content.
By architecture, the DPC is a multipurpose multi-mission RadHard microcontroller.
Exclusive distributor: Protec GmbH
A public data sheet is available. Please contact Product Manager for delivery.
The DPC is a mixed-mode “system-on-chip” integrating a very large set of functions present in space equipment for the management of sensors, actuators, power systems, multiple communication protocols, etc.
Next to main controller functions, all servicing functions are present on the silicon die such as power supplies (LDO), clock oscillators, reference voltages, non-volatile e2prom management, initialisation and self-test features (not represented on figure). It only requires a +3.3V supply with some passive decoupling component and its serial non-volatile memory to operate.
The DPC concatenates three applicative controllers in one chip: (so-called) SSM, COM and RAS controllers. Although they are located on the same die, each of these 3 controllers has its own CPU. Consequently, they operate independently from each other increasing the determinism of each process that is taking place. Tasks can be orthogonal to each other with strongly simplified interruption scheme. The DPC is mostly used without operating system as sufficient processing resources are available to manage multiple tasks fully in parallel.
The DPC integrates a large variety of peripherals and hardware accelerators such as ADC, DAC, PWM generators, timers, SPI, I2C, UART, mil-1553 bus, CAN-bus, hardware 32 bits MACC, hardware 32 bits divider and barrel shifter.
To support software development, each CPU is equipped with trace and debug hardware. A centralized SPY system supports transparent and non-intrusive process monitoring and debug. Software development suite mostly relies on worldwide standards such as GCC (compiler) and GNU debugger. Together with specific tools for code upload, E2prom programming and non-intrusive debug, these tools are integrated into the Eclipse environment.
The project is completed.
