Power Electronic Components, Circuits and Systems for Deep Space Missions

Power electronic circuits are widely used in space missions in the areas of power management, conditioning, and control systems. Circuits designed for deep space applications and outer planetary explorations are required to operate reliably and efficiently under extreme temperature conditions. This requirement is dictated by the fact that the operational environments associated with some of the space missions would encompass extremely cold temperatures. The development and utilization of electronics capable of low temperature operation would not only fulfil the advanced technology requirements, but also would contribute to improving circuit performance, increasing system efficiency, and reducing development and launch costs. These benefits are generally achieved by the improved intrinsic properties of some of the electronic materials at low temperature, reduced device losses, and the elimination of heating elements used in conventional systems at low temperatures. In this paper, the performance of commercially available and custom-made power electronic components and circuits was investigated under extreme-cold temperature conditions. The devices included semiconductor switches, magnetic cores, capacitors, pulse-width-modulation (PWM) controllers, and advanced commercial DC/DC converter modules. Different properties were determined as a function of temperature in the range of 20degC to - 196degC, at various voltage, current and frequency levels. The experimental procedures along with the experimental results are presented and discussed