Using HARV-SoC for Reliable Sensing Applications in Radiation Harsh Environments

Abstract

Sensing systems are present in most application domains, including those in harsh environments. These systems are often designed around processing units sensitive to these environmental conditions. Still, the systems must withstand extreme operational conditions in these environments and maintain consistent measurements. In this work, we present the challenges imposed by radiation effects in sensing applications and discuss the utilization of a fault-tolerant RISC-V System-on-Chip, the HARV-SoC, to mitigate their impact. The HARV-SoC comprises peripherals and the fault-tolerant HARV core, which relies on hardening strategies, such as physical and information redundancy, to meet the requirements of critical applications targeting harsh environments and reduce the propagation of errors. Hence, we guide how to employ the proposed system in sensing applications and empower the community with a new tool for reliability-oriented projects.