MILITARY & DEFENCE SUPPLEMENT FEATURE
FACING NEW FRONTIERS in high reliability applications
In addition to stringent performance,
reliability and quality considerations suppliers face growing challenges of logistics: there is a mountain of paperwork and a mire of compliance as the export of many of the components of choice are controlled by the US Department of State or the Department of Commerce. The recent changes in US export regulations are theoretically making things a bit easier but suppliers still offer additional assistance with the completion of any necessary export paperwork and European point of delivery once export approval is granted. For example, Avnet Memec’s warehouse in Germany is qualified to ship export controlled ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations) products directly. Changes to boards or systems can be very
Paul Leys, Marketing Manager Hi-rel/Space at Avnet Memec, explores how the Space and Avionic industries are evolving and the importance of adapting to change in these applications
A
erospace, Defence and High-Rel have become virtually synonymous terms
for electronic devices and components. These sectors have much in common, but each poses different challenges when it comes to design-in and procurement. Factors such as the increasing trend towards COTS and the shifting regulatory landscape make this a continually changing environment for suppliers. Recent independent studies suggest
shifts in military spending and growing commercial demand for aircraft has led to some clear changes in the requirements of the military and aerospace electronics and semiconductors market. Clearly, this is not a homogeneous landscape and individual areas pose individual challenges. The worldwide market for commercial aircraft continues to exhibit consistent growth as buyers and airlines upgrade to the newest and most efficient low maintenance aircraft. The Satellite market also shows double-digit expansion, with government and commercial customers seeing a variety of higher speed, wider bandwidth and longer lifetime solutions. Less buoyant than these two sectors, the defence industry has at least stopped its recent decline, but procurement has tended towards cost-reduction measures and extending the lifetime of existing programmes. All these markets will rely on a growing electronic content to improve data throughput, reliability and cost. The requirements of these industries
are similar in demanding the highest reliability and quality of components.
However, space designs face the additional challenge in that it is almost impossible to repair a satellite once it is launched. The satellite’s working environment also means the component must withstand extremes of temperature and radiation with the general requirement of 15 years.
THE SPACE INDUSTRY The satellite industry is typified by low volume production, so typically is not able to offset up-front costs through higher volumes. Increasingly, the solution is to base systems on FPGA building blocks, which can be reprogrammed for future missions with minimal need for requalification. Microsemi’s radiation tolerant flash FPGAs fit this requirement. Last-minute changes can be accommodated right up until launch time. In the future, it might even be possible to reprogram such systems in flight for various phases of the mission, but this is a high-risk strategy: an ion storm or pulse of radiation could come by at the critical moment and render the systems useless. Such considerations make radiation hardening vital for all space components, and views are changing on the methods of testing devices to ensure long operational lifetime. Until recently, it was thought that subjecting a device to a high radiation dose for a relatively short period would give a reasonably accurate picture of its stability under lower doses, over longer periods. Today’s enhanced low dose rate test procedures give a better prediction of lifetime in space.
/ ELECTRONICS
Figure 1 & 2: High reliability
applications in defence and space require components tuff enough to withstand the
harshest of environments whilst offering long and reliable service life
expensive because of qualification costs, so the whole process of obsolescence management and process change notification now also plays an important role when supplying product to this industry. The same considerations apply to
commodity devices such as DDR memory devices, which would quickly become unavailable without a comprehensive supply and critical part management programme. For example, E2V has introduced a life extension program for Micron memories, which includes wafer banking, redesign and re-engineering, hi-rel test and packaging, obsolescence management, together with engineering support. All suppliers to commercial aircraft need a robust and thorough Product Change Notification process and early warning End of Life process. Suppliers who participate in organisations like the Components Obsolescence Group offer the industry a further level of reassurance. Whilst overall military spending in Europe is expected to continue to decline over the next few years, there is a growing opportunity for smarter military spending on electronics instead of spending on training and personnel. The trend remains in the direction of cost savings and programme extension, so the military need for obsolescence management is higher than in commercial aviation. As with commercial aircraft, component
availability is critical over lengthier periods. Companies like Maxim are able to satisfy the military’s requirement for obsolete parts, including COTS devices, by remanufacturing them from banked wafers into plastic packages.
Avnet Memec UK
www.avnet-memec.eu 01844 263600
Enter 211 ELECTRONICS | SEPTEMBER 2014 S3
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