Bae Systems Information and Electronic Systems Integration Inc.

Bae Systems Information and Electronics Systems Integration Inc.

Alan F Dennis

Joseph R Marshall, Jr

Dale A Rickard

Jason F Ross

Charles A Dennis

Steven G Santee

Keith K Sturcken

Daniel L Stanley

Richard J Ferguson

Jamie A Bernard

Jane O Gilliam

John T Matta

Lori D Dennis

A multi-chip module hybrid integrated circuit (MCM-HIC) provides cold spare support to an apparatus comprising a plurality of ICs and/or other circuits that are not cold spare compliant. At least one core IC and at least one cold spare chiplet are installed on an interconnecting substrate having a plurality of power zones to which power can be applied and withdrawn as needed. When powered, the cold spare chiplets serve as mediators and interfaces between the non cold spare compliant circuits. When the cold spare chiplets are at least partly unpowered, they protect all interconnected circuits, and ensure that interconnected circuits that remain powered are not hindered by unpowered interconnected circuits. Cold spare chiplets can extend across boundaries between power zones. External circuits can be exclusively interfaced to a subset of the power zones. Separate power circuits within a power zone can be sequenced during application and withdrawal of power.

Multi-chip module hybrid integrated circuit with multiple power zones that provide cold spare support

An MCM-HIC device flexibly adds enhanced features to a VLSI 'core' IC that are not directly supported by the core IC, such as unsupported communication protocols and/or support of cold spare operation. The core IC is mounted on an interconnecting substrate together with at least one 'chiplet' that provides the required feature(s). The chiplet can be programmable. The chiplet can straddle a boundary of an interposer region of the substrate that provides higher density interconnections at lower currents. The disclosed method can include selecting a core IC and at least one active, passive, or 'mixed' chiplet, configuring a substrate, and installing the core IC and chiplet(s) on the substrate. In embodiments, the core IC and/or chiplet(s) can be modified before assembly to obtain the desired result. Cost can be reduced by pre-designing and, in embodiments, pre-manufacturing the chiplets and modified core ICs in cost-effective quantities.

Multi-chip hybrid system-in-package for providing interoperability and other enhanced features to high complexity integrated circuits

A reconfigurable digital processing system for space includes the utilization of field programmable gate arrays utilizing a hardware centric approach to reconfigure software processors in a space vehicle through the reprogramming of multiple FPGAs such that one obtains a power/performance characteristic for signal processing tasks that cannot be achieved simply through the use of off-the-shelf processors. In one embodiment, for damaged or otherwise inoperable signal processors located on a spacecraft, the remaining processors which are undamaged can be reconfigured through changing the machine language and binary to the field programmable gate arrays to change the core processor while at the same time maintaining undamaged components so that the signal processing functions can be restored utilizing a RAM-based FPGA as a signal processor. In one embodiment, multiple FPGAs are connected together by a data bus and are also provided with data pipes which interconnect selected FPGAs together to provide the necessary processing function. Flexibility in reconfiguration includes the utilizing of a timing and synchronization block as well as a common configuration block which when coupled to an interconnect block permits reconfiguration of a customizable application core, depending on the particular signal processing function desired. The result is that damaged or inoperable signal processing components can be repaired in space without having to physically attend to the hardware by transmitting to the spacecraft commands which reconfigure the particular FPGAs thus to alter their signal processing function. Also mission changes can be accomplished by reprogramming the FPGAs.

Reconfigurable digital processing system for space

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Chantilly, VA, United States of America

Alan F Dennis