# Presentation: 111059

## A FPGA QUALIFICATIONMETHODOLOGY R.G. McInturff11 - 12 December 2001 

**Electronic Systems**

## TECHNOLOGY/BUSINESS ASSESSMENT

**FPGA’s COMPARABLE TO ASIC’s?**
**SPEED AND PERFORMANCE**
**MATURITY FOR SPACE APPLICATIONS**
**FPGA MANUFACTURERS?**
**ACTEL, XILINX, UTMC**
**TECHNOLOGY ROADMAP**
**MILITARY?, SPACE?, INDUSTRIAL?, COMMERCIAL?**
**SMD, SCD, QML, OR QPL EXPERIENCE?**
**FOUNDRIES?**
**PACKAGES?**
**ASSEMBLY AND TEST?**
**TECHNICAL CAPABLITY? PREVIOUS HISTORY?**
**QUALITY CONSCIOUS?**

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## APPLICATION

**ISSUES FOR EACH PROGRAM OR PRODUCT LINE:**
**SPACE ENVIRONMENT**
**POWER: 2.5 V. CORE, 2.5 / 3.3V I/O’S, 5 V. TOLERANT I/O’S**
**SPEED: 250 MHz **
**SPECIAL FEATURES: PCI I/O’s**
**TESTABILITY: JTAG?**
**CERAMIC QUAD. FLAT PACK (CQFP)**
**CHARACTERISTICS**
**BUS CONTENTION OF I/O’s**
**SIMULTANEOUS SWITCHING OUTPUTS **(**SSO)**
**LVTTL SLEW RATE**
**PCI OUTPUTS / TERMINATIONS / SETTLING TIMES**
**METASTABILITY**
**STATE OF I/O’S**
**POWER UP AND INITIALIZATION**

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## RADIATION

**ISSUES FOR EACH PROGRAM OR PRODUCT LINE:**
**SPACE, MILITARY, OR COMMERCIAL ENVIRONMENT?**
**SPACE INFORMATION:**
**TOTAL DOSE - HARDENED, TOLERANT, OR COMMERCIAL**
**SINGLE EVENT UPSET (SEU) - FF, LATCHES, COMBINATORIAL LOGIC**
**SOFT ERROR - MEMORY**
**LATCH-UP**
**HEAVY ION - LET DATA**
**PROTON - LET DATA**
**DOSE RATE**
**SINGLE EVENT FUNCTIONAL INTERRUPTS**
**SEU AFFECTING TESTABILITY (JTAG)**
**TECHNICAL INFORMATION**
**WEB SITES**
**TECHNICAL LITERATURE**

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##  RELIABILITY

**ISSUES FOR EACH PROGRAM OR PRODUCT LINE:**
**SPACE, MILITARY OR COMMERCIAL ENVIRONMENT?**
**SPACE RELIABILITY**
**FIT LEVELS OF 50 OR LESS FOR NEW PRODUCTS (TREND DATA)**
**FIT LEVELS OF 10 OR LESS FOR MATURE PRODUCTS**
**ELECTROMIGRATION**
**HOT CARRIERS**
**TIME DEPENDENT DIELECTRIC BREAKDOWN (TDDB)**
**ANTI-FUSE - DIAGNOSTIC TESTING?**
**CMOS - PROCESS MONITORS (PM’s)**
**IN-LINE CMOS DIAGNOSTIC TESTING**
**VOLTAGE STRESS TESTING  **
**IDDQ TESTING**
**LIFE TESTING, ACCLERATED LIFE TESTING, ETC**
**RELIABILITY DATA ON SIMILAR PRODUCTS**
**FAILURE MODES AND MECHANISMS**

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## PART CHARACTERISTICS

**ISSUESFOR EACH PROGRAM OR PRODUCT LINE:**
**KNOWN CHARACTERISTICS**
**PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE WITH ACTEL’s 1280**
**WEAK IN TOTAL DOSE ENVIRONMENTS**
**EASILY PROGRAMMED**
**EASILY PROCURED**
**TECHNICAL PROBLEMS**
**COMMERCIAL SX- A SUCCESSFULLY PROGRAMMED IN-HOUSE AND TESTED**
**ANTI-FUSE A PROVEN NON-VOLATILE SWITCH**
**SEVERAL YEARS EXPERIENCE WITH COMMERCIAL VERSION**
**SPACE LEVEL E- FLOW**
**NO DPA LOT REJECTS**
**NO IN-HOUSE FAILURE ANALYSIS REPORTS**
**NO FPGA EXPERIENCE UTMC OR XILINX **

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## PART CHARACTERISTICS (CONT’D)

**UNKNOWN CHARACTERISTICS:**
**ACTEL**
**NEW, IMMATURE PRODUCT**
**NEW RADIATION TOLERANT PROCESS IMPROVEMENTS**
**LITTLE TO NO ELECTRICAL CHARACTERIZATION**
**NO RADIATION PERFORMANCE CHARACTERIZATION**
**SMD NOT WRITTEN**
**DESC QUALIFICATION PLAN NOT CLEARLY DEFINED**
**XILINX**
**SRAM-BASED FPGA NEVER USED AT RES**
**UTMC**
**NEW FPGA DESIGN IN DEVELOPMENT**
**UNABLE TO GET FIRM SCHEDULE FOR FLIGHT DEVICES**

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## CONCLUSIONS / RESULTS

**ACTEL SELECTED AS SINGLE SOURCE SUPPLIER**
**RATIONALE FOR SELECTION:**
**SPEED AND PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS ACCEPTABLE**
**PAST HISTORY WITH MILITARY AND SPACE PROGRAMS**
**WILL TO WORK WITH RES**
**OTHER POTENTIAL SUPPLIERS EITHER DO NOT HAVE A SPACE-TYPE FPGA OR DESIGNERS DO NOT WANT TO USE IT**
**WAFER LOTS IN PRODUCTION**
**PROCESS MONITORS ACCEPTABLE **
**QUALIFICATION SAMPLE BEING PACKAGED**
**PROGRAM CAPABILITY IN-HOUSE**
**COMMERCIAL SAMPLES SUCCESSFULLY PROGRAMMED**
**GOOD DELIVERY SCHEDULES**

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## QUALIFICATION RESULTS TO DATE

**APPLICATION:**
**CHARACTERIZATION ON SUMMULTANEOUS SWITCHING OUTPUTS AND BUS CONTENTION NOT COMPLETED**
**POWER-UP AND INITIALIZATION COMPLETE**
**JTAG NOT OPERATIONAL IN APPLICATION AT >25 C AND  >2.0 VOLTS**
**BOUNDARY SCAN RESET PIN TO HARD GROUND**
**LVTTL SLOW SLEW BUFFER FALLING EDGE SLOWED, BUT NOT RISING EDGE**
**RADIATION:**
**LETs> 100MeV-GM/CM2 USING TMR**
**QUESTIONS ON COMBINATORIAL SEU RESULTS**
**ONLY LVTTL I/0 FEATURES CHARACTERIZED, NO PCI OR CMOS**
**NO REBOUND ANNEALING **

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## QUAL. RESULTS TO DATE (CONT’D)

**FUNCTIONAL FAILURES FROM CHARGE PUMP DEGRADATION (>>100Krads)**
**SHIFTS OF >10% IN PROGATION DELAYS (~60Krads)**
**SHIFTS > 25 mA IN SUPPLY CURRENT AT >80Krads, + 25 C**
**POST RAD. PARAMETERS NOT IN RADIATION LIBRARY**
**RELIABILITY: **
**NO NEW FIT DATA ON FLIGHT DEVICES**
**NO READ AND RECORD MEASUREMENTS FOR 1000 HR LIFE TEST**
**NO SEM INSPECTION**
**NO DYNAMIC BURN-IN DATA, ONLY STATIC**
**SMD SPECIFICATION UPDATED AND RELEASED**

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## LESSONS LEARNED

**PRESENT FPGA QUAL. METHODOLOGY FLAWED**
**LIMITED CONTROL OF COMMERCIAL FOUNDRY**
**DESIGN LIBRARY / SIMS CAPABILITIES QUESTIONABLE**
**ECONOMIC COST FORCING SALE OF LESS THAN IDEAL PRODUCT - **_**BUYER BEWARE**_
**NEW MODIFICATION TO QUAL. METHODOLOGY**
**CONSIDERING LARGE DESIGN MARGIN AND VERY CONSERVATIVE ESTIMATES**
**CONSIDER PERFORMING IN-HOUSE COMPONENT TESTING, CHARACTERIZATION (VOLTAGE, FREQUENCY, TEMPERA-TURE) AND/OR BOARD LEVEL TESTINGL**
**CONSIDER ADDITIONAL TESTING AFTER FPGA PROGRAM-MING**
**CONSIDER IN-HOUSE RADIATION CHARACTERIZATION**

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## LESSONS LEARNED (CONT’D)

**NEW BASELINE FOR QUAL. METHODOLOGY**
**CONSIDER ONLY COMMERCIAL ON-SHORE FOUNDRIES**
**HAVE A SECOND SOURCE**
**CONSIDER MATURE PRODUCTS**
**USE ASIC’s DESIGNS, BUT FPGA’s AS LAST RESORT**

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