A note on the specifics of electronics development in the space industry

Conducting space projects has its own characteristics, which often go far beyond the boundaries of designing boards and circuits. In a review article, the author briefly introduces the reader to aspects specific to the development of electronics in the space industry.





Pewter Mustache and Protective Cover

Let's start with the unusual. The author has no doubt that all the developers of ultra-reliable systems familiar phenomenon called "tin whiskers» ( tin whiskers ) - long thin crystals of yarns that can grow out of the surfaces of chips or solder terminals.





Tin whiskers example
Tin whiskers example

They grow quite quickly, so much so that after months, these whiskers can simply close adjacent leads. One of the options for neutralizing this process is the application of a certain protective coating, the choice of which is nontrivial. 





Application example of conformal coating
Application example of conformal coating
Protective coating process
Protective coating process

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Application of glue around the perimeter of the BGA chip
BGA

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Full module filling

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Cross-section of the board and BGA package showing the separation of the ball from the pad
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Internal structure of CCGA packages.
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Variant of interaction of radiation with matter, the Compton effect
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An example of the interaction mechanism of a cosmic high-energy particle with the internal structure of a MOSFET.
MOSFET.

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New Space MVP (Minimum Viable Product) , in vitro , . , , : 5–10 krad — , , LEO. 





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Crack in the structure of the MLCC due to bending of the board
MLCC

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, / automotive MLCC.

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A crack in the soldered unit, however, the cavity defect probably made an additional contribution :)
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Closing adjacent via via CAF
via CAF

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PCB sandwich burnout caused by CAF: A short circuit occurred in the thickness of the material between the + 48V power rail and ground.  The gases released during combustion opened the sandwich of the board from the inside, which caused the "swelling" in the burnout area.
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Temperature profile modeling
Mechanical stress simulation
Another simulation example comparing the effects of different fixing screw configurations
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Signal Integrity Modeling
Signal Integrity
Power Integrity Modeling
Power Integrity

Project management,

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Something Interesting in Electronics.








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