Radiation-Hardened Sequential Circuit With Split Voltage Domains
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing integrated circuits face challenges in achieving both low power consumption and radiation hardness, as prior methods either result in slower performance or increased power consumption to mitigate single event upsets and transients caused by ionizing radiation.
Innovation Solution
A radiation hardened sequential circuit design that maintains logic elements at a high voltage and storage elements at a high voltage power rail, while the clock element operates at a low voltage, providing substantial power savings and superior radiation hardening characteristics.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If resistors are introduced to harden the circuit against SEU, then radiation hardness is improved, but setup time increases proportionally to the RC time constant
Solution Approach 1:
The circuit is divided into two separate voltage domains: a high voltage domain for logic gates and a low voltage domain for storage elements and clock circuits. This segmentation allows the logic portion to operate at high voltage for fast switching while the storage portion operates at low voltage for power savings, eliminating the need for RC delay-based hardening that increases setup time.
Solution Approach 2:
The invention changes the voltage parameter across different circuit components. Logic gates operate at high voltage (e.g., 5V) for fast switching and radiation hardness, while storage elements and clock circuits operate at low voltage (e.g., 1.8V or lower) for power savings. This parameter differentiation resolves the contradiction by allowing each component to optimize for its specific function.
2Use of energy by moving object
If power supply voltage is scaled down to reduce power consumption, then power savings are achieved, but radiation hardness is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The power supply system is segmented into multiple voltage rails: high voltage for logic gates and low voltage for storage elements and clock circuits. This allows the logic portion to maintain high voltage for radiation hardness while the power-consuming clock and storage portions operate at low voltage for power savings.
Solution Approach 2:
Different parts of the circuit are assigned different voltage qualities based on their functional requirements. Logic gates receive high voltage for radiation hardness and fast switching, while storage elements and clock circuits receive low voltage for power savings. Each local region has optimized voltage quality for its specific function.
Data Source
AI summary
The present invention includes a radiation hardened sequential circuit, such as a bistable circuit, flip-flop or other suitable design that presents substantial immunity to ionizing radiation while simultaneously maintaining a low operating voltage. In one embodiment, the circuit includes a plurality of logic elements that operate on relatively low voltage, and a master and slave latches each having storage elements that operate on a relatively high voltage.