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Rapid Radiation Failure Analysis of Digital Circuits Using a Computing Farm

Award Information
Agency: Department of Defense
Branch: Missile Defense Agency
Contract: DASG6003P0275
Agency Tracking Number: 031-1249
Amount: $70,000.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: N/A
Solicitation Number: N/A
Timeline
Solicitation Year: N/A
Award Year: 2003
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): N/A
Award End Date (Contract End Date): N/A
Small Business Information
22 Haverhill Road, P O Box 128
Windham, NH 03087
United States
DUNS: 619244395
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Alex Zamfirescu
 Vice President Engineerin
 (650) 473-1067
 alexz@ascinc.com
Business Contact
 Jake Karrfalt
Title: President
Phone: (603) 437-2234
Email: jake@ascinc.com
Research Institution
N/A
Abstract

The failure of digital circuits due to radiation using simulation was not addressed in the past due to several obstacles. First, radiation failure models, radiation faults dictionaries and the specification of susceptibility to radiation are not availablein the current hardware description languages (HDL) like IEEE 1076 (VHDL) or IEEE 1364 (Verilog). Second, the simulation that will gather useful statistics from radiation models is in general lengthy and unaffordable for less then scholastic examples usingcurrent simulators. We propose to study the use of Advanced Library Format (IEEE P1603-ALF) in addition to a standard HDL to describe radiation faults and susceptibility to radiation. In addition we plan to investigate the use of simulation farms to reducethe time and difficulty of managing the simulation of the effects of radiation on military complexity digital circuits. Precise assessment of radiation effects on digital circuits becomes feasible before the physical implementation. The selection of thebest candidate architecture for a new digital system that will resist to a specified level of radiation with a given probability is enabled at a reduced cost. Once designed, the simulation system can be upgraded to take into account other faults like thecross talk (electromagnetic radiation produced by the circuit itself). In addition to the military sector benefits, the commercial sector will be benefit through analysis of ionization soft error susceptibility.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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