Low-Power Radiation Hardened Delay-Insensitive Asynchronous Microcontroller Technology Capable of Operating on Extreme Temperature Environments, Phase I

Potential new applications for this technology are found in the commercial avionics, medical, and defense sectors. The avionics industry is actively pursuing the development of extreme temperature electronics for sensors, radio-frequency power amplifiers, and actuators/motor drive application. This technology has the potential of simplifying the design of the next generation of crafts and commercial satellites, expanding their current capabilities. The medical fields and the defense sectors have particular interest in extreme temperature electronics since it has the potential of impacting several areas such as magnetic resonance imaging, particle accelerators, etc. This technology can also foster other research fields such as superconducting (i.e., cryogenic) power transmission and distribution, superconducting motors and generators, etc. The first market for this technology will be in the power electronics systems of NASA Lunar and Martian science missions and deep space exploration vehicles, including spacecraft, balloons, rockets, and aircraft. APEI, Inc. plans to develop the technology throughout Phases I, II, and III with this purpose and goal in mind. There are a wide range of NASA applications in which this technology could significantly improve performance and/or reduce launch costs. Wide temperature electronics will eliminate (or reduce) the need for thermal control reducing size, weight, and power usage. This will enable greater mobility and lifetime for surface exploration craft. This technology can be also used on space-based observatories, such as the Next-Generation Space Telescope that need actuators and drives to operate at deep cryogenic temperatures. Deep space missions would greatly benefit from high density light-weight power management and electronics systems. More »