Led by principal investigator John D. Cressler, an electrical and computer engineer at the Georgia Institute of Technology in Atlanta, the team - working under a one-year, $2.75 million NASA contract - will continue to develop silicon-germanium-based mixed-signal circuits for extreme environments. NASA began the project in 2005.

Mixed-signal circuits contain components that process both analog and digital signals. They are deemed essential to the design of electronics that operate, control, monitor and reconfigure many space systems, Boeing said in a statement.

The Phase 2A contract period concludes in April 2007, and Phase 2B is anticipated to run until April 2009.

Under the contract, the team will build on its Phase 1 progress and continue to: - define application tasks, - design and fabricate integrated circuits, - develop simulation and modeling tools for design, - assess reliability and radiation tolerance, - develop integrated packaging, and - qualify the performance of the devices in extreme cold temperatures and under incident radiation.

If completed, the new technology could be used in the upcoming NASA Robotic Lunar Exploration Program. Starting with the Lunar Reconnaissance Orbiter launch in October 2008, the RLEP will send a series of robotic missions to the Moon and support future exploration activities, both robotic and human, to Mars and beyond.

SiGe electronics have intrinsic tolerance to space radiation and reduce the need for housing the electronics in warm boxes. The approach conserves energy, reduces launch weight and improves reliability. SiGe would allow extended mission ranges and durations. It could be used in lunar landers, hoppers, rovers or data-gathering stations, and it also could benefit human space transportation systems.

The technology is rapidly making inroads in high-speed communications because of its low cost and its ease of integration. The research, to leverage and adapt SiGe technology for specific space-exploration needs, is part of NASA's Exploration Systems Research and Technology Program.

"Future spacecraft returning to the Moon will determine if ice exists in a form usable by humans in the permanently dark craters of the south polar region," said Leora Peltz, leader of Boeing's Advanced Network and Space Systems project, a division of Boeing Integrated Defense Systems.

"Water, if found, could be used as an in-space fuel source. SiGe technology could enable robots and humans to remain longer and accomplish more, either searching for existing resources or performing scientific missions on the lunar surface," Peltz said.

Along with Boeing, the research team includes Georgia Tech, NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, Auburn and Vanderbilt universities, the universities of Arkansas, Maryland and Tennessee, BAE Systems, IBM and Lynguent.

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Boeing Integrated Defense Systems
SiGe Technology Background
NASA Robotic Lunar Exploration Program
Space Technology News - Applications and Research