Description: Space electronics must feature a certain radiation tolerance to meet a mission’s life span. In addition, the size, weight, and power (SWaP) are usually constrained. Modern HV electronics are usually built with integrated circuits (ICs) that contain high-voltage (HV) MOS transistors whose threshold voltages will shift negatively if exposed to ionizing radiation, resulting in malfunction of the electronics. This project aims at developing radiation-resistant device-matched class AB HV amplifier-array ICs. Class AB operation will ensure low-static dissipation and high driving efficiency, which will make it feasible to integrate over 100 HV amplifiers in a single chip. Device-matched amplifier configuration is a newly developed design that its operation is insensitive to the threshold-voltage shifts, thus such amplifier-array ICs are expected to be radiation-resistant, and these ICs are needed to build a miniaturized deformable mirror (DM) driver for a space coronagraphic instrument (CGI). Two radiation-resistant HV amplifier-array ICs will be prototyped by this Phase II effort, each contains 128 HV amplifiers, one for driving MEMS actuators, and the other one for driving stacked PMN actuators.

Benefits: The to be developed two radiation-resistant class AB HV amplifier-array ICs can be used to build miniaturized DM drivers for space-based coronagraphic instruments which will be included in NASA’s space missions such as Roman Space Telescope, HabEx and LUVOIR.

The to be developed HV amplifier array IC will be a potential candidate to be selected for building a DM driver in an adaptive optics system where the size, weight, power, and radiation tolerance are a concern. Such systems include but are not limited to space-based optical communication.