Low-power electronic technologies for harsh radiation environments

Capacitor-based Isolation Amplifiers for Harsh Radiation Environments

Commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) capacitor-based isolation amplifiers were irradiated at the Portuguese Research Reactor (PRR) in order to determine its tolerance to the displacement damage and total ionising dose (TID). The set of experimental data shows that some of these devices are suitable for zones inside future nuclear facilities where the expected total radiation damage would be below 2....

Harsh Environments: Space Radiation Environment, Effects, and Mitigation

Precision in harsh environments

Microsystems are increasingly being applied in harsh and/or inaccessible environments, but many markets expect the same level of functionality for long periods of time. Harsh environments cover areas that can be subjected to high temperature, (bio)-chemical and mechanical disturbances, electromagnetic noise, radiation, or high vacuum. In the field of actuators, the devices must maintain stringe...

Design Technologies for Low Power VLSI

Low power has emerged as a principal theme in today’s electronics industry. The need for low power has caused a major paradigm shift where power dissipation has become as important a consideration as performance and area. This article reviews various strategies and methodologies for designing low power circuits and systems. It describes the many issues facing designers at architectural, logic, ...

Resistive Oxygen Gas Sensors for Harsh Environments

Resistive oxygen sensors are an inexpensive alternative to the classical potentiometric zirconia oxygen sensor, especially for use in harsh environments and at temperatures of several hundred °C or even higher. This device-oriented paper gives a historical overview on the development of these sensor materials. It focuses especially on approaches to obtain a temperature independent behavior. It ...