Microchip Technology has introduced a radiation-tolerant, six-output programmable clock generator aimed at improving spacecraft timing systems for precise signals to navigation, communications and scientific instruments.
Dubbed DSA504RT, the clock generator produces clean, phase-aligned frequencies from a single source, reducing the need for multiple oscillators. Additionally, it lowers component counts and improves system failure in time (FIT) rates.
Microchip said the DSA504RT device is a companion device for aerospace and defense systems that allows high integration of clock architectures within a single chip, distributing precise timing references to subsystems built around radiation-tolerant or radiation-hardened field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) and microcontroller units (MCUs).
Microchip said this works even when Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) signals are weak or unavailable.
Other features include:
- Analog phase-locked loop (APLL) featuring spread spectrum capability
- Two fractional dividers
- Two integer dividers
- Six configurable output buffers
- Jitter performance as low as 200 femtoseconds (12 kHz to 20 MHz)
- Compliant with PCIe Gen 1 to 7 standards
- Offered in QFN28 and CQFP32 packages
“This Microchip clock generation device is a game changer for space applications,” said Maamoun Abou Seido, vice president of Microchip’s timing communications group. “It can offer a comprehensive clock tree solution, producing three different clock families and up to six different frequencies, each buffered on a variety of selectable output drive types.”
