Megagate ASICs for the Thuraya satellite digital signal processor

Abstract

Boeing Satellite Systems and IBM have designed and fabricated a, set of ASIC chip types to perform computation-intensive digital signal processing (DSP) functions on board geosynchronous satellites of the Thuraya mobile communications system. Preparation for this application required comprehensive review of the reliability and space-worthiness of the underlying process and packaging technology. First-pass success on all nine million-plus-gate ASIC designs required extensive model-based simulation and verification. These technologies allowed a four-fold increase in the computational power of the DSP unit over previous systems based on radiation-hardened ASICs, while simultaneously decreasing the number of ASICs required by another factor of five. The first Thuraya satellite is on-orhit, and the whole communications system is performing flawlessly.