The RHRPMICL1A Integrated Current Limiter: Radiation Tests and High Voltage Application

This paper provides a detailed overview of the reliability and radiation tests (both TID and SEE) performed inside the QML-V qualification phase and a high voltage application of RHRPMICL1A IC (integrated circuit) device, a rad-hard integrated current limiter designed and developed by STMicroelectronics. The device was born from the idea of ESA to have an ICL (Integrated Current Limiter) of universal use and containing most of the components for the relevant current limiter functions (such as the Latching and Re-triggerable modes), in order to avoid recurrent re-design and implementation by using discrete components. The device has obtained recently the QML-V qualification with SMD number 5962–17211. The high voltage application, described in the second part of this paper, allows using the device in power bus of 100V or higher, as those ones required more and more in the telecom satellites. The related application tests, performed in the laboratory for the validation of the proposed solution, are also presented.