A Continuous-Time Laser Programmable Analog Array for Radiation Environments

This paper presents the design of a high performance, radiation hard Laser Programmable Analog Array (LPAA) using LaserLink’s MakeLinkTM technology. Radiation hardness is achieved through the use of an advanced Silicon-on-Sapphire (SOS) fabrication process. The programming of the analog array is achieved through the use of laser via formation, which has extremely low resistance, negligible capacitance and full compatibility with commercial CMOS processes. The proposed LPAA consists of a 4 x 2 array of Configurable Analog Blocks (CABs) surrounded by abundant interconnect resources. There are 12 PAD groups around the chip, and 8 tracks per X/Y channel. Each CAB has 4 input and 4 output pins with internal circuit operating in fully differential mode. The high performance amplifier provides a usable bandwidth of 12MHz. With appropriate programming, the LPAA can provide an accurate, low-cost and rapid-prototyping analog ASIC solution.