A NOVEL FIELD PROGRAMMABLE GATE ARRAY FOR SPACE APPLICATIONS

Mission Research Corporation proposes the development of a unique FPGA (field programmable gate array) for applications in space and other military and civilian environments requiring the versatility of reconfigurability with retention of the configuration in an unpowered state. The FPGA will be capable of being configured once and retaining that configuration for a minimum of 10 years even with power interruptions. Alternatively, the configuration may be changed to implement enhanced processing algorithms in hardware, to permit hardware work around, and to change hardware configuration based on processing requirements. The design is based on a combination of leading edge technologies for non-volatile memory cells, innovative non-destructive readout cell designs, and radiation hardened CMOS technology. The proposed design will maintain a high level of compatibility with commercial designs. The project will include the integration of the FPGA with commercial and public domain CAD tools to support applications.