Analog Asics Now Move Into Rad‐Hard Applications With New Analog‐Compatible SOS Technology

Abstract

Analog designers working infields such as aerospace, the defense and nuclear industries, telecommunications and medical electronics have long faced a special problem when trying to source application‐specific integrated circuits (ASICs) for their designs. Although digital ASICs have long been available with the degree of radiation hardening normally required for these applications, sourcing radiation‐hardened (‘rad‐hard’) analog ASICs has been much more difficult. In particular, the CMOS/SOS technology used very successfully to produce rad‐hard digital ASICs has long been considered to be fundamentally unsuitable for analog designs. Only now has CMOS/SOS technology been developed to the point where highly integrated, high‐performance rad‐hard analog ASICSs can be made readily available — thanks to a breakthrough by Swedish semiconductor specialists ABB HAFO that is now opening up new opportunities for analog designers everywhere.