# Presentation: 911180

## MSMT 2004 NRA Bidders Conference

- Low Power Microelectronics
- July 15, 2003
- Michael A. Johnson
- Assistant Chief for Technology
- NASA Goddard Space Flight Center
- Jesse Leitner
- Revolutionary Spacecraft Systems Program Manager

## Low Power Microelectronics NRA Briefing

- Challenge
- Solution Approach
- Technology Solicitation
- Analysis and Verification
- Programmatics

## The Desired Paradigm

- Credit- Terry Weisshaar, DARPA/DSO

- “The flying machine which will really fly might be evolved by the combined and continuous efforts of mathematicians and mechanicians in from one million to ten million years”.
- The New York Times
- 9 October 1903

- “We started assembly today”
- Orville Wright’s Diary
- 9 October 1903

## Challenge

- Enable / Enhance Science Return

- Onboard Control and
- Signal Processing

** *****enable and enhance*** ambitious Earth- and Space Science investigations planned for late this decade and beyond
*** ******advance*** the technology of spacecraft and instrument systems to the point where challenging science goals are
- achievable and consistent with tightly constrained cost resources

- Science Return

- Potential Science Return

## Challenge 

- Enable / Enhance Science Return
- via increased power efficiency

*power*

*performance*

*Higher-performance/*
*constant power** *

*Constant-performance/*
*lower power** *

*Original operating point*

- Onboard Control and Signal Processing

## Solution Approach- Framework

- Overarching Objectives
- Maximize impact of technologies on NASA Enterprises
- Reduce cost of systems development

- Solicitation attempts to minimize solutions constraints
-  Maximize solution-space

- Technologies Must Facilitate
- Broad applicability
- End-user flexibility
- Applications specificity
- Component-level interoperability

## Solution Approach- Multiple Technologies

- Broad Applicability, User Flexibility
- General Purpose Components
- Applications Specificity
- Low Power Design Process and Capability
- Component-level Interoperability
- System, Interfaces

- Innovative architectures
- Broad applications-space

- General multi-application LPE components

- Non-LPE components

- Application-specific LPE components

- Standard high-performance, interoperable, flexible interfaces

- User-configurable, flexible devices

- Realize technologies from
- a system perspective

## Technology Solicitation

*1.2.1* - High Performance General Purpose 32-Bit & 64-Bit Microprocessors
*1.2.2 -* High-Performance General Purpose 16-Bit & 32-Bit Configurable 	Platforms
*1.2.3* - High-Speed Analog-to-Digital Converters
*1.2.4 -* Digital and Mixed-Signal Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC)  	Design Capability
*1.2.5* - Low Power Architectures

## Technology Solicitation- Metrics 

*Requirements*
- Based on
- Science drivers
- Extrapolations from current spaceflight and commercial technology
*Goals*
- Based on long-term science drivers

## Technology Solicitation- 1.2.1 - High-Performance General Purpose 32-Bit and 	 64-Bit Microprocessors

| Metric | Requirement | Goal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Sustained Processor Efficiency |  200 MIPS/W | > 400 MIPS/W |
| Sustained Bandwidth | scaleable- 20 MIPS to 200 MIPS at required processor efficiency metric | scaleable over full operational range at stated processor efficiency metric |
| Total Ionizing Dose |  100krad (Si) | - |
| Upset Rate |  1E-10 errors/bit-day | - |
| Single Event Latchup Immunity |  100 MeV-cm2/mg | - |

- Processing core integrated with subsystems
- e.g. memory management units, floating point units
- Device interfaces that facilitate component-level connectivity and interoperability
-  e.g. low voltage differential signaling, power-efficient level shifting
- Innovative configurable solutions adherent to leading standards
- Responders must provide or refer to an existing compatible software development environment

## Technology Solicitation- 1.2.2 - High-Performance General Purpose 16-Bit and 32-Bit                 Configurable Platforms

| Metric | Requirement | Goal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Sustained Processor Efficiency |  100 MIPS/W | > 200 MIPS/W |
| Sustained Bandwidth | scaleable from 10 MIPS to 100 MIPS at required processor efficiency metric | scaleable over full operational range at stated processor efficiency metric |
| Total Ionizing Dose |  100krad (Si) | - |
| Upset Rate |  1E-10 errors/bit-day | - |
| Single Event Latchup Immunity |  100 MeV-cm2/mg | - |

- Devices integrating processor core w/ end-user configurable functions and subsystems
- e.g. onboard memory, embedded analog-to-digital converters, embedded field-programmable gate arrays
- Device interfaces that facilitate component-level connectivity and interoperability
-  e.g. low voltage differential signaling, power-efficient level shifting
- Innovative configurable solutions adherent to leading standards
- Responders must provide or refer to an existing compatible software development environment

## Technology Solicitation- 1.2.3 - High-Speed Analog-to-Digital Converters

| Metric | Requirement | Goal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Resolution (bits)  (no missing codes) | 14 | 16 |
| Throughput Rate | 1 MSPS | 50 MSPS |
| Latency  |  1us | - |
| Integral Non-Linearity |  ± 2 LSB |  ± 1 LSB |
| Differential Non-Linearity |   ± 1 LSB |  ± 0.75 LSB |
| Input Voltage Range | 0-2V, fully differential | - |
| Sample and Hold | Internal | - |
| Voltage Reference | User selected internal / external | - |
| Power Dissipation |  50 mW/MSPS  |  10 mW/MSPS |
| Total Ionizing Dose |  100krad (Si) | - |
| Linear Energy Transfer |   37 MeV-cm2/mg | - |
| Single Event Latchup Immunity |  100 MeV-cm2/mg | - |

- Architectures must accommodate
- variable sample rate
- user-configurable parallel and low voltage differential serial interfaces

## Technology Solicitation- 1.2.4 - Digital and Mixed-Signal Application Specific Integrated Circuit 	(ASIC) Design Capability

| End Product Metric | Requirement |
| --- | --- |
| Total Ionizing Dose |  100krad (Si) |
| Linear Energy Transfer |   37 MeV-cm2/mg |
| Single Event Latchup Immunity |  100 MeV-cm2/mg |

- Electronic design automation environment, methodology or capability
-       (e.g. design tools, techniques, libraries)
- enable and expedite the design, verification, synthesis and fabrication of custom and semicustom radiation tolerant low-power digital and mixed-signal ASICs
- design implementation flows must facilitate reusability, low risk and low total-systems cost

## Technology Solicitation- 1.2.5 - Low Power Architectures

- Innovative architectural solutions that integrate multiple device- and module level low-power components into a low-power system architecture
- Low-power considerations must be addressed at the system level
- Solicits both architectural concepts as well as power modeling and estimation tools

## Analysis and Verification -Low Power and Radiation Effects

- Discuss component fabrication processes, technologies and circuit design solutions
- Prove projected minimum performance metrics are met
- Analytical or experimental radiation substantiation
- minimal degradation in static or dynamic performance or shift in operating points
- discuss component mitigation, hardening and correction methods
- describe verification tests and methods
-  Analytical or experimental power efficiency substantiation
- component level
- in context of a typical system

## Programmatics- Product Delivery

- Seek enabling and enhancing technologies that will be infused into future spaceflight missions
- describe plan for product delivery
- methods to provide products and capabilities for use by aerospace systems developers

***Aerospace systems environment***

***TRL 3 or 4***

***TRL >= 5***

***Entry ***

***MUST DEFINE***
***Delivery Process***

***Exit ***

## Programmatics- Funding

- Anticipated $3M annual funding level
- Size of awards $100k - $500k annually
- Period of performance up to 3 years
- Previously approved multi-year efforts must be renewed annually

## Summary

- Goals
- Increase science return
- Realize *potential science*
- Technical realization derived from overarching objectives
- Demonstrate components of an effective system
- Broadly applicable, flexible
- Application specific
- Interoperable
- Prove performance metrics are met
- MUST define plan for technology delivery to aerospace systems developers
- Collaborations are encouraged

- “We started assembly today”