A monolithic, wide-temperature, charge amplification channel for extreme environments

This paper describes the design, implementation, and characterization of a monolithic charge amplification channel for use as a piezoelectric sensor front-end in extreme environment applications. 12The design leverages a 50 GHz peak-fT SiGe BiCMOS technology platform to achieve functionality across a wide-temperature range from -180°C to 120°C. As part of a much larger remote electronics unit, the channel is specified to amplify piezoelectric transducer signals with frequencies up to 5 kHz and amplitudes as low as 200 pC. Intended for use in lunar surface systems, the application requires the capability to absorb up to 100 krad(SiO2) of total ionizing dose (consistent with a typical lunar mission cycle) and be hardened against latch-up effects that cause system failure in a heavy ion radiation environment. Preliminary characterization of the channel shows the desired integration of an AC current input, programmable gain, and effective filtering at three distinct cutoff frequencies.