A Soft-Error-Tolerant SAR ADC with Dual-Capacitor Sample-and-Hold Control for Sensor Systems

Area of Science:

• Electronics Engineering
• Radiation Effects Science
• Sensor Systems

Background:

• Reliable sensor systems require precise measurement of signals like electromagnetic fields, pressure, and temperature.
• Analog-to-digital converters (ADCs) are crucial for converting analog sensor signals to digital data.
• Extreme radiation environments (space, flight, nuclear reactors) can degrade ADC performance due to soft errors, causing system failure.

Purpose of the Study:

• To propose a novel analog-to-digital converter (ADC) architecture resistant to soft errors induced by radiation.
• To enhance the reliability and stability of sensor readout systems operating in harsh radiation environments.
• To develop a successive-approximation-register (SAR) ADC with robust characteristics against total ionizing dose (TID) and single event effects (SEE).

Main Methods:

• Design and fabrication of a soft-error-tolerant successive-approximation-register (SAR) ADC using a 65-nm CMOS process.
• Implementation of a dual-capacitor sample-and-hold (S/H) control circuit for enhanced radiation tolerance.
• Verification of circuit techniques using a radiation simulator CAD tool and experimental measurements in radiation environments.

Main Results:

• The proposed SAR ADC demonstrates robust performance against total ionizing dose (TID) and single event effects (SEE).
• Fabricated ADC using 65-nm CMOS process exhibited reliable operation in measured radiation environments.
• Radiation simulator confirmed the effectiveness of the proposed soft-error-tolerant circuit techniques.

Conclusions:

• The developed dual-capacitor S/H control SAR ADC offers a viable solution for reliable sensor readout in extreme radiation conditions.
• The proposed design significantly improves system stability and prevents malfunction caused by radiation-induced soft errors.
• This work contributes to the advancement of radiation-hardened electronics for critical applications in space and nuclear industries.