The Overview
Microchip Technology’s MIC69303RT is a 3-A, low-dropout (LDO) voltage regulator that extends the company’s radiation-tolerant lineup with a power-management device suited for low-Earth-orbit (LEO) and other space applications.
Who Needs It & Why?
The drive to commercialize the LEO region (roughly 1,200 miles above the Earth) for satellite communications requires components that can withstand the harsh environment of space. The MIC69303RT is Microchip’s first commercial-off-the-shelf (COTS) radiation-tolerant power device targeting LEO and other space-borne applications.
Under the Hood
Based on COTS devices, the MIC69303RT makes it easier to conduct preliminary evaluation and early development. Operating from a single low-voltage supply of 1.65 to 5.5 V, it can provide output voltages as low as 0.5 V at high currents, offering highly precise and ultra-low-dropout voltages of 500 mV under extreme conditions. The low noise of the output is critical to sensitive RF circuits, post regulation of switching power supplies, and industrial power applications.
The device is a companion power device for the company’s radiation-tolerant, space-qualified microcontrollers such as the SAM71Q21RT and PolarFire FPGAs, including the RTPF500TLS.
The MIC69303RT is Microchip’s first rad-tolerant power-management device with a hermetic ceramic package, latch-up immunity, and 50-krad total dose robustness. Designed for harsh aerospace applications, it's operational in temperatures from –55 to +125°C. The device comes in 8- and 10-pin package configurations and is available for prototype sampling in both plastic and hermetic ceramic to support mission requirements.
Development Tools
The MIC69303RT Plastic Evaluation Board is designed to evaluate the performance of the plastic engineering IC version for the power device. The 4-layer PCB allows the user to easily change and measure the electric parameters of the MIC69303RT at different input and output conditions.