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FPGA-based reliability design method for space irradiation based on software
FPGA has become widely adopted in the aerospace industry due to its high integration, flexibility, and short development cycle. However, these devices operate in a space environment filled with high-energy particles such as gamma photons, radiation belt electrons, and high-energy protons. When these particles strike the device, they can cause various space radiation effects, including Total Ionizing Dose (TID), Single Event Upset (SEU), Single Event Latchup (SEL), Single Event Burnout (SEB), Single Event Gate Rupture (SEGR), and internal charging [1]. These effects are particularly significant for SRAM-based FPGAs.
With modern FPGA processes moving toward lower voltages and higher integration, the threshold for radiation-induced failures is decreasing, increasing the risk of malfunction. Radiation effects can lead to abnormal system behavior, or even permanent damage in critical systems. Therefore, ensuring high reliability in FPGA design is essential to mitigate the impact of space radiation.
According to satellite data, 70% of anomalies are attributed to the space radiation environment [2]. Table 1 outlines the main radiation effects, their sources, and the components they affect.
Table 1: Main radiation effects, radiation sources, and objects
[Image centered here: "FPGA Reliability Design Technology in Space Irradiation Environment"]
Single Event Effects (SEE) occur when a single high-energy proton or heavy ion strikes an electronic component. These effects include single-event upsets, latchups, burns, gate ruptures, and more. When a charged particle impacts a large-scale logic device, it generates electron-hole pairs near the PN junctions. If the chip is powered, these carriers can move under the internal electric field, altering the normal operation of the device. This can result in logic errors, memory corruption, or even catastrophic failure.
Most FPGAs today use SRAM-based architectures, where each programmable cell is essentially a 1-bit SRAM. While this offers some reliability, the stored state can be easily overwritten by radiation-induced charges [3]. Figure 1 illustrates the single-event flip-flop in a CMOS process used in FPGAs.
[Image centered here: "FPGA Reliability Design Technology in Space Irradiation Environment"]
Figure 1: Schematic of single-particle flipping in FPGA using CMOS process
Because of the potential for SEUs to disrupt internal logic and memory, FPGA software must be designed with safety and reliability in mind.
To address these challenges, several preventive measures can be employed:
**2.1 Periodic Reconfiguration**
Reconfiguring the FPGA periodically helps clear any accumulated errors. Designers need to evaluate the error propagation time and schedule reconfiguration accordingly. In the author’s system, which is a CCD camera imaging system, the FPGA is reloaded at power-up and powered off after each task, minimizing radiation effects.
**2.2 Triple Mode Redundancy (TMR)**
Redundant design, especially TMR, is an effective way to prevent SEUs. By using three identical units and a voting mechanism, the system can tolerate one faulty unit. Although TMR improves reliability, it may reduce performance and consume more resources. The author implemented TMR on key data parsing modules, storing critical data in three block RAMs and using a voting unit to ensure accuracy.
**2.3 Cycle Erase Technique**
This technique involves periodically resetting key units to prevent SEUs from causing long-term issues. In the CCD system, periodic erase signals are used to reset counters and registers, ensuring stability. The timing simulation shows that even if an SEU occurs, the system recovers quickly.
**2.4 Error Detection and Correction (EDAC)**
After an SEU occurs, critical signals may remain in an error state. EDAC circuits monitor and correct these errors in real-time. The author implemented an EDAC system that uses triple redundancy to detect and correct faults, ensuring continuous reliable operation.
In conclusion, as FPGAs continue to be used more widely in aerospace applications, ensuring their reliability against space radiation becomes increasingly important. Through hardware shielding, software techniques like periodic reconfiguration, TMR, cycle erase, and EDAC, the impact of radiation can be minimized. The methods proposed in this paper provide a useful reference for designing reliable space-based FPGA systems.