SpaceWire community welcome upgrade to signaling technology

Low Voltage Differential Signaling (LVDS) technology uses differential signals with low voltage swings to transmit data at high rates, so it is regularly used on satellites.

These are general-purpose devices, which are used as point-to-point serial interfaces in payload electronics as well as in intra-satellite (box-to-box) data communication. The SpaceWire interface standard, which uses LVDS as a physical layer, is gaining ground in such applications, which leads to a rising demand for LVDS products in the development and manufacturing of next generation payload and on-board computer electronics.

Currently all scientific and Earth Observation missions are using or planning to use LVDS, such as Juice.

Although standard LVDS offers an excellent bandwidth to power ratio, the technology has one weakness – a relatively narrow common mode.

Common mode refers to the input voltage range with guaranteed operation when the LVDS receiver and transmitter are referenced to different ground planes.

A GSTP activity, with SPACE IC, Germany, developed and validated the component manufacturing from wafer to assembly of dies in hermetic ceramic packages.

The activity was performed under the GSTP De-Risk Framework. SPACE IC had previously developed a family of generic LVDS silicon dies, that extended the common mode from +/- 1 to  between +12 V and -7 V.

The activity led to three devices being manufactured from wafer through to  hermetic component.  The components reached TRL 4 after undergoing radiation, heavy ions and other tests.

It is planned to now put the components through qualification testing. Once they pass, they will become the only space-grade LVDS products in the world with such an extended common mode range.

G617-241TAs completed in April 2020.