VLSI for space applications: Single event effect investigation and optical analysis on an integrated laser platform

Today's VLSI devices are neither designed nor manufactured for space applications in which single event effects (SEE) issues are common. In addition, very little information about the internal schematic and usually nothing about the layout or netlist is available. Thus, they are practically black boxes for satellite manufacturers. On the other hand, such devices are crucial in driving the performance of spacecraft, especially smaller satellites. The only way to efficiently manage SEE in VLSI devices is to localize sensitive areas of the die, analyze the regions of interest, study potential mitigation techniques, and evaluate their efficiency. For the first time, all these activities can be performed using the same tool with a single test setup that enables a very efficient iterative process that reduce the evaluation time from months to days. In this paper, we will present the integration of a pulsed laser for SEE study into a laser probing, laser stimulation, and emission microscope system. Use of this system will be demonstrated on a commercial 8 bit microcontroller.