RHRPMICL1A – Space Qualified Programmable Integrated Current Limiter (ICL)
STMicroelectronics has developed a new radiation-hardened (rad-hard) programmable integrated current limiter (ICL) with the help of the European Space Agency (ESA) and Centre National d’Etudes Spatiales (CNES), the French space agency. The RHRPMICL1A prevents power surges and overloads from damaging electronic equipment operated and it can deliver a cost-effective standardized and configurable solution for power management in space applications.
The RHRPMICL1A is compatible with all the bus voltages that are commonly used in space applications such as 28V,50V, and 100V, it has a floating-ground configuration and Zener diode that provides flexibility in handling higher bus voltages also. The device can be configured for addressing multiple applications like acting as a slave to provide simple latched protection, or in an autonomous mode capable of automatic self-recovery, or with foldback limiting to maintain a safe current in all conditions including short-circuit.
By combining the functions of a latch-up current limiter and solid-state power switch (SSP) eases the design and cuts the bill of materials (BOM), this also helps to save weight and 93% of board space in a fully integrated solution. Hardware designers can reduce the typical protection-circuit footprint from 20cm x 20cm to 5cm x 5cm.
The telemetry and telecommand pins will be connected directly to the spacecraft’s onboard computer to permit easy control. The load is managed through an external P-channel MOSFET to provide flexibility for circuit designers.
The RHRPMICL1 is QML-V space-agency qualified (5962R17211) with radiation hardness assurance (RHA) up to 100kRad total ionization dose (TID) and 78MeV in single event latch-up (SEL). The RHRPMICL1A is the third QML-V qualified rad-hard product ST has designed using the Company’s proprietary BCD6s SOI technology for power ICs.
Features of RHRPMICL1A Integrated Current Limiter
- Wide range supply voltage: 8.5 -52VDC(can be extended up to 90V)
- Very low DC current: typ 1.5 mA
- Can operate as Retriggerable, latched and Foldback
- Configurable trip-off and recovery times
- Configurable Undervoltage protection
- Embedded current sense
- Radiation hardened: TID :100krad(Si) HDR, SEL& SEU free up to 78 MeV.cm²/mg, SET report available upon request
Note: More technical Information can be found in the datasheet linked at the bottom of this page or on the RHRPMICL1A product page.
