This project developed methods to evaluate the mechanisms and accommodate the effects of accelerated semiconductor device wear out on avionics system design, production, and support.
The project also developed methods to account for shorter device lifetimes in avionics system safety and reliability analysis.
Project objectives:
- Identify and quantify failure mechanisms resulting from operating devices in an aerospace environment.
- Develop failure models capable of extrapolation to air and space operating conditions.
- Perform experimental work to verify the models and determine constants for aerospace applications and conduct accelerated reliability testing of selected semiconductor devices.
- Develop avionics guidelines that take into account the shorter device lifetimes and the failure modes and mechanisms of the devices .
- Develop mature cost impact estimates.
- Evaluate the capacity of system reliability and safety analysis methods to accommodate failure patterns expected of future semiconductor devices.
- Implement guidelines and assessment methods that account for limited semiconductor device lifetimes and for the resulting variable failure rates.
- Develop new reliability methods in response to accelerated device wear out phenomena.
- Develop a handbook outlining key semiconductor device attributes that impact avionics system design and recommend methods to manage them.
- Develop a practical system design guide to address tradeoffs among speed, temperature, voltage and operating life to ensure reliable performance of the system throughout its life.
- Develop simulation based qualification parameters.
- Develop qualification test procedures based on different acceleration conditions of voltage, speed and temperature.
- Estimate the impact of ever decreasing feature sizes on different device families.
