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Data Device Corporation’s SCS750 single-board computers (SBCs) have been operating without interruption onboard the Gaia satellite since its launch in 2014. The uninterrupted operation is possible because of several hardening techniques that allow the SBC to correct single-event upsets (SEUs) in the constituent components. We present on-orbit SEU data for the SBCs. All errors analyzed here were corrected by the SBC and had no effect on mission operation. We analyze the data to determine the accuracy of current models, as well as the effects of the space weather environment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Discusses the light gas gun facility firing system and the upgrade of the control system. The Materials Dynamics Group was left with a GUI with which they were already familiar as well as hardware with faster and easier connectivity. The documentation provided gives an explanation of what applications each port serves, and where a single signal can be located on any particular DAQ card, which will allow for an easy understanding of the program as a whole. The additions to the old system give the customer increased reliability, increased ability to troubleshoot problems, and accurately logged information to help repeat successful tests. This case study can easily be applied to other control systems of similar applications. Although the methods and tools of implementation may vary, the presented systematic approach explains the thought process that you must go through to provide the most appropriate solution. You must consider not only the hardware and software aspects of the project, but also the potential applications the system may be used for in the future. By acknowledging each issue a customer may have, an approach can be taken to not only address each concern, but also to include additional features that enhance the overall control system [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Reticles were exposed to the fringing field from an electrode biased to a high voltage. The reticles in the study included reticles designed to benchmark the electrostatic damage (ESD) hazard of photobay and production reticles of a variety of feature sizes. It was found that without any electrical contact between the reticle and the electrode, reticle damage could be done. A wide bandwidth transient-electromagnetic interference (EMI) sensing antenna revealed that the reticle sparked when a voltage as low as 2000 V was applied to the electrode. The tests showed that the ESD threshold of reticles with smaller feature sizes was lower than for reticles with larger feature sizes. Reticles were scanned under optical and atomic force microscopes for reticle damage. It was found that when the voltage was ramped to 17 kV and returned to zero, damage to the reticle was observed. When a voltage of 7.5 kV was applied once, no damage was observed but when it was applied 100 times, reticle damage was observed. This study confirms that ESD damage is done to a reticle by charged objects in the vicinity of the reticle in contrast with the prevailing belief that reticle damage is done only by charge on reticles. The study also showed that reticles can be sufficiently damaged to cause printing errors due to the accumulated damage caused by repeated low level exposure to the fringing field of a charged object in the vicinity of the reticle [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]