Tower-Jazz and Ramon-Chips introduce an advanced second generation processor component with cosmic radiation protection for space applications

The chip manufacturers' market for unique and advanced cosmic radiation shielded components for space and security applications is estimated at approximately 400-500 million dollars

Tower-Jazz and the Ramon-Chips company, which specializes in the development of components for the space market, announced today the successful completion of the development of the advanced second generation of a radiation-protected computer component (Rad-hard) intended for space applications. The new advanced component is manufactured exclusively at Tower-Jazz's Fab2 production facility in Migdal Ha'Emek, using 0.18 micron technology and based on a CMOS platform. According to the research company King Research, the market for rad-hard components for chip manufacturers for space and security applications is estimated at approximately 400-500 million dollars.

The processor was jointly developed by Ramon Chips and Aeroflex Gaisler and is exclusively marketed by Aeroflex Gaisler. This is the next generation of graphics processors and is resistant to cosmic radiation and harsh environmental conditions, for use in space missions, aviation and satellites, for applications that require high reliability. The processor was designed using Ramon Chips' RadSafe ™ methodology, and with the help of a library of standard cells that were developed based on a Tower-Jazz process, to ensure radiation resistance of parts manufactured in Tower-Jazz's Israeli facility.

The new component is packed in a dedicated ceramic package, which guarantees hermeticity and extreme mechanical efforts, such as accelerations of 3000G after being electrically tested, and has undergone filtering and reliability tests for space conditions, according to MIL-STD 883 Class S.

"We are once again happy about the good results of our joint work and the performance of the component produced at Tower-Jazz," said Prof. Ran Ginosar, CEO of Ramon Chips. "The Tower-Jazz team in Israel works with us in close cooperation for several years, and together we achieved the advanced product while improving the quality and performance of space exploration."

"We are very proud of the achievements we achieved in our work with Ramon Chips on the industry-leading processor component with excellent performance, based on our CMOS technology," said Ilan Rabinovitch, VP of Customer Support and Director of the CMOS Division at Tower-Jazz "Our engineering team emphasizes the development of technological platforms adapted to the customer, and our cooperation with Ramon Chips is Another example of our versatility and our ability to adapt the production process to meet the unique needs of our customers."