Flight experiments and failure analysis of FPGA for anti-SEU at aviation altitudes

With the development of microelectronics technology, small size, high integration density and low voltage devices are increasingly used in avionics. Many researchers found that the particle radiation caused by the charged particles in upper atmosphere have a significant impact on avionic devices. In consideration of the potential safety hazard by single event upsets and the urgent demand of airborne equipment localization, this paper reports the research and analysis of the single event upset problems of FPGA devices applied in the airborne electronic equipment. Firstly, the flight experimental data of mainstream FPGAs at the aviation flight altitudes are analyzed. Then, further demonstration is made about whether these FPGA devices meet the needs of civil aviation. The analysis results show that single event upset is an indispensable problem according to the conditions of mainstream FPGA chip with the small size and working voltage. Even the FPGA devices are working at the air flight altitude or near the ground, the failure caused by single event upset would make them unable to meet the safety requirements of civil aviation equipment.