This presentation will cover NASA Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical (EEE) Parts Landscape and 2018 Activities

LaBel, Kenneth A.

Pellish, Jonathan A.

NASA Technical Reports Server

NASA’s Changing Electronics Landscape:
NEPP Focus, Agency Alignment, and 
Technology Development
Kenneth A. LaBel
NEPP Program Co-Manager
ken.label@nasa.gov
Jonathan A. Pellish
NASA EEE Parts Manager
jonathan.pellish@nasa.gov
To be presented by Kenneth A. LaBel and Jonathan A. Pellish at the Microelectronics Reliability and Qualification Working (MRQW) Meeting, El Segundo, CA, February 6-8, 2018.
https://ntrs.nasa.gov/search.jsp?R=20180001250 2019-08-30T12:40:50+00:00Z
Acronyms
• Three Dimensional (3D)
• Air Force (AF)
• Air Force Space & Missile Systems Center (AF SMC)
• Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD)
• Ames Research Center (ARC)
• Marconi Electronic Systems (MES) and British 
Aerospace (BAe) merged to form BAE Systems (BAE)
• Bayesian Networks (BN)
• Body of Knowledge (BOK)
• Brigham Young University (BYU)
• Capability Leadership Teams (CLTs)
• Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor (CMOS)
• Commercial Off-the-Shelf (COTS)
• Cosmic Ray Effects on Micro-Electronics (CRÈME)
• Double Data Rate (DDR)
• Dis-integrated Random Access Memory (DiRAM)
• Defense Logistics Agency (DLA)
• Defense MicroElectronics Activity (DMEA)
• Department of Defense (DoD)
• Department of Energy (DOE)
• Electrical, Electronic, and Electromechanical (EEE)
• NEPP Electronics Technology Workshop (ETW)
• fully depleted silicon-on-insulator (FD-SOI)
• Fin Field Effect Transistor (the conducting channel is 
wrapped by a thin silicon "fin") (FinFET)
• Field Programmable Gate Array (FPGAs)
• Gallium Nitride (GaN)
• Government-Industry Data Exchange Program 
(GIDEP)
2To be presented by Kenneth A. LaBel and Jonathan A. Pellish at the Microelectronics Reliability and Qualification Working (MRQW) Meeting, El Segundo, CA, February 6-8, 2018.
• Goddard Space Flight Center(GSFC)
• Goal Structuring Notation (GSN)
• High Bandwidth Memory (HBM)
• High Performance Spacecraft Computing (HPSC)
• Integrated Circuit (IC)
• Infrared (IR)
• Indiana University Cyclotron Facility (IUCF)
• Joint Electron Device Engineering Council (JEDEC)
• Jet Propulsion Laboratories (JPL)
• Los Alamos National Laboratories (LANL)
• Loma Linda University Medical Center (LLUMC)
• Mission Assurance Improvement Workshop (MAIW)
• Model-Based Mission Assurance (MBMA)
• Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH)
• Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field-Effect Transistor 
(MOSFET)
• National Aeronautics and Space Administration 
(NASA)
• Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane, Indiana (Navy 
Crane)
• NASA Electronic Parts Assurance Group (NEPAG)
• NASA Electronic Parts and Packaging (NEPP) Program
• NASA Engineering and Safety Center (NESC)
• Non-Military (Non-Mil)
• United States Navy National Reconnaissance Office 
(NRO)
• NASA Office of the Chief Engineer (OCE)
• NASA Office of Safety and Mission Assurance (OSMA)
• Package on Package (PoP)
• Radiation Hardened (RH)
• Radiation Hardness Assurance (RHA)
• Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE)
• Space Asset Protection Program 
(SAPP)
• SCRIPPS Proton Therapy Center 
(SCRIPPS)
• Systems Engineering and Assurance 
Modeling (SEAM)
• Single Event Burnout (SEB)
• Single Event Effect (SEE)
• NASA Space Environments Testing 
Management Office (SETMO)
• Silicon Carbide (SiC)
• Air Force Space and Missile Systems 
Center (SMC)
• Subject Matter Expert (SME)
• Sandia National Laboratories (SNL)
• NASA Space Technology Mission 
Directorate (STMD)
• System Modeling Language (SysML) 
• Technical Operating Reports (TORs)
• Tri-University Meson Facility (TRIUMF)
• Through Silicon Via (TSV)
Outline
• NASA Electrical, Electronic, and 
Electromechanical (EEE) Parts Landscape
– Why the Change?
– General Agency EEE Parts Interfaces
– EEE Parts Manager: A New Role in the Agency
• 2018 Activities
– NASA Electronic Parts and Packaging (NEPP) Program
– NASA Space Technology Mission Directorate (STMD)
– NASA Space Environments Testing Management Office 
(SETMO)
• Summary
3To be presented by Kenneth A. LaBel and Jonathan A. Pellish at the Microelectronics Reliability and Qualification Working (MRQW) Meeting, El Segundo, CA, February 6-8, 2018.
EEE Parts – Why the Change?
4To be presented by Kenneth A. LaBel and Jonathan A. Pellish at the Microelectronics Reliability and Qualification Working (MRQW) Meeting, El Segundo, CA, February 6-8, 2018.
– Capabilities are defined as a combination of technical content, workforce, 
specialized facilities and infrastructure, as well as unique tools and techniques
– NASA currently has 19 discipline, 7 system, 5 research, and 3 service capabilities
– EEE parts falls under the Avionics discipline within the Capability Leadership 
Model – EEE parts management function stood up for implementation
Image Credit: NASA
General NASA EEE Parts Interfaces
5To be presented by Kenneth A. LaBel and Jonathan A. Pellish at the Microelectronics Reliability and Qualification Working (MRQW) Meeting, El Segundo, CA, February 6-8, 2018.
Managed by GSFC
Image Credit: NASA
NASA EEE Parts Manager
• Manage consolidation and centralization of EEE 
parts workforce
– Radiation effects on EEE parts are in scope, as is 
management of the Agency radiation facility block buy
– GSFC is lead Center, with support from JPL
• Provide resources for Centers to acquire EEE 
parts workforce expertise and a forum to 
coordinate activities with stakeholders (e.g., OCE, 
OSMA, SETMO, etc.) and customers
• Track the state of the Agency EEE parts 
workforce, including Center expertise, demand, 
and capacity
• Support Agency policy and technical decision-
making processes
• Evolve management functions as needed
6To be presented by Kenneth A. LaBel and Jonathan A. Pellish at the Microelectronics Reliability and Qualification Working (MRQW) Meeting, El Segundo, CA, February 6-8, 2018.
NEPP Mission Statement
Provide NASA’s leadership for 
developing and maintaining guidance 
for the screening, qualification, test, 
and reliable usage of electrical, 
electronic, and electromechanical 
(EEE) parts by NASA, in collaboration 
with other government Agencies and 
industry.
To be presented by Kenneth A. LaBel and Jonathan A. Pellish at the Microelectronics Reliability and Qualification Working (MRQW) Meeting, El Segundo, CA, February 6-8, 2018. 7
NEPP - Charter
Mission 
Assurance
Agency Leadership
•NASA Policies and 
Procedures
•Agency Guidelines, 
Body of Knowledge 
(BOK) documents, 
and Best Practices
•Coordination of 
Government and 
Industry Standards
•Audit Coordination 
with AF, NRO, DLA
•Partnering within 
NASA and other 
Agencies, Industry, 
University, and 
International
EEE Parts 
Infrastructure
•NEPAG Telecons and 
Working Groups
•SME Capabilities
•Communication and 
Outreach within NASA 
and to the greater 
aerospace community
EEE Parts Problem 
Investigations
•Agency/Industry-wide 
problems
•GIDEP and NASA Alert 
development
Technology Evaluation
•Advanced /new EEE 
parts/technologies
•Ex. Advanced CMOS, 
GaN, SiC
•Working Groups (NASA 
, government, 
aerospace)
•Screening/qualification/ 
test/usage guidelines
•Partnering: NASA, 
Government Agencies, 
Industry, University, 
International
Trusted and RH 
Electronics
•Collaboration with 
NASA and other 
Agency Supply Chain 
and Trust/Counterfeit 
Electronics 
Organizations
•Support DoD efforts 
on Trusted Foundries 
and FPGAs (w/NASA 
STMD and OCE/Space 
Asset Protection)
•Support DoD RH 
efforts
Agency Priorities –
Independent Support
•Commercial Crew
•Small Mission 
Reliability
•Coordination with 
NASA Consolidation, 
CLTs, NESC, STMD, 
SAPP, and radiation 
block buy
•Collaborate with 
DoD/DOE on space 
radiation test 
infrastructure
8To be presented by Kenneth A. LaBel and Jonathan A. Pellish at the Microelectronics Reliability and Qualification Working (MRQW) Meeting, El Segundo, CA, February 6-8, 2018.
NEPP – Product Delivery
Assurance
BOK
• Technology and 
product status and 
gap analysis
Best Practices 
and Guidelines
• Test, usage, 
screening, 
qualification
• Radiation facility 
studies
NASA EEE Parts 
Policy and 
Standards Government and 
Industry 
Standards 
Representation
• SAE G11/G12/ 
JEDEC JC13
• Aerospace TORs
NEPP Standard 
Products
• Test, summary, and 
audit reports
• Conference and 
workshop 
presentations
• Alerts
Related task areas:
Technology/parts evaluations lead to new best practices, etc…
9To be presented by Kenneth A. LaBel and Jonathan A. Pellish at the Microelectronics Reliability and Qualification Working (MRQW) Meeting, El Segundo, CA, February 6-8, 2018.
Body of Knowledge (BOK) Documents
• What goes into a BOK
– An overview of the technology
– An overview of technology applicability to 
space/aeronautics
– An overview of technology maturity, produceability and/or 
commercial availability
– Reliability, qualification, and/or radiation knowledge-base
– Technology direction or extent of the reliability issue for 
the future Identification of experts, technology sources, 
test houses, etc.
– Facilities/capabilities
– Recommendation for follow-on NEPP task (if applicable)
To be presented by Kenneth A. LaBel and Jonathan A. Pellish at the Microelectronics Reliability and Qualification Working (MRQW) Meeting, El Segundo, CA, February 6-8, 2018. 10
What’s New for NEPP in FY18
• Increased emphasis on needs of small missions 
such as CubeSats and model-based mission 
assurance (MBMA)
– Partnering with other NASA organizations, Agencies, 
and universities
– Expansion of outreach in this area
• More assurance products
– BOKs, Guidelines, Tools, Information Sharing, Training
• Significant update of the NEPP website planned
– Easier to find guidance and search for data
– New tie-ins to the SmallSat community
• Support for Agency efforts for EEE Parts 
Consolidation, Radiation Beam Block Buys, and 
Capability Leadership Teams
11To be presented by Kenneth A. LaBel and Jonathan A. Pellish at the Microelectronics Reliability and Qualification Working (MRQW) Meeting, El Segundo, CA, February 6-8, 2018.
Advanced Technologies
• Technology/device evaluations with a nod to developing 
test methods and user guidance
• New: collaboration with DMEA and GlobalFoundries on 
22nm FD-SOI and 28nm bulk radiation evaluation
– Discussion with other government Agencies as additional 
partners
AMD Ryzen Processor
Hynix 3D Flash Memory
To be presented by Kenneth A. LaBel and Jonathan A. Pellish at the Microelectronics Reliability and Qualification Working (MRQW) Meeting, El Segundo, CA, February 6-8, 2018. 12
NEPP – Processors, Systems on a Chip (SOC), and 
Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs)
Best 
Practices 
and 
Guidelines
Radiation 
Hardened 
Processor 
Evaluation
•BAE RAD55XX
•Vorago
(microcontrollers)
•Support High 
Performance 
Spacecraft 
Computing (HPSC)
Graphics 
Processor 
Units (GPUs)
•Intel, AMD, Nvidia
•Enabling data 
processing
State of the Art 
COTS 
Processors
•Sub 32nm CMOS, 
FinFETs, etc
•Samsung, Intel, 
AMD
•Neural Networks
“Space” FPGAs
•Microsemi RTG4
•Xilinx MPSOC+
•ESA Brave (future)
•“Trusted” FPGA 
(future)
COTS FPGAs
•Xilinx Ultrascale
•Intel Cyclone 10
•Mitigation 
evaluation
•TBD Others
Partnering
•Processors: Navy 
Crane, BAE/NRO-
•FPGAs: AF SMC, 
SNL, LANL, BYU,…
•Microsemi, Xilinx, 
Synopsis
•Cubic Aerospace
Potential task areas:
artificial intelligence (AI) hardware, Intel Stratix 10
13To be presented by Kenneth A. LaBel and Jonathan A. Pellish at the Microelectronics Reliability and Qualification Working (MRQW) Meeting, El Segundo, CA, February 6-8, 2018.
NEPP – Memories
Best 
Practices 
and 
Guidelines
Commercial Flash
• 3D
• Samsung, Hynix, 
Micron, Wester Digital
• Planar – TBD
• Enabling data storage 
density
New materials/ 
architectures
• Resistive
• Fujitsu/Panasonic
• Spin torque transfer 
magnetoresistive
• Avalanche, Everspin
• 3D Xpoint
• Intel Optane
• Enabling “universal” 
memories
DRAMs
• DDR4 test capability (in 
progress)
• Commercial DDR 
(various)
• Tezzaron DiRAM
(w/HPSC)
• Enabling high 
performance 
computing
Partnering
• Navy Crane
• NASA STMD
• Avalanche
• University of Padova
Related task areas:
Deprocessing for single event testing (also w/processors, FPGAs,…)
14To be presented by Kenneth A. LaBel and Jonathan A. Pellish at the Microelectronics Reliability and Qualification Working (MRQW) Meeting, El Segundo, CA, February 6-8, 2018.
NEPP – Packaging
Best 
Practices 
and 
Guidelines
3D
TSV Memories
DDR4
HBM
Non-Hermetic
QFN
PBGA
Daisy Chain
PoP
Thru Mold Via
Substrates
Cobham –
FC/Organic
Cobham –
Cu Pillar
3D Literature 
review
Partnering
• Tezzaron
• Aurora 
Semiconductor
• Xilinx
• Cobham
15To be presented by Kenneth A. LaBel and Jonathan A. Pellish at the Microelectronics Reliability and Qualification Working (MRQW) Meeting, El Segundo, CA, February 6-8, 2018.
NEPP - Small Mission and Emerging 
Architectures Efforts
Reliable 
Small 
Missions
Model-Based 
Mission 
Assurance 
(MBMA)
•W NASA MBMA 
Program
Best 
Practices and 
Guidelines
COTS and 
Non-Mil Data
•Automotive 
electronics
SEE 
Reliability 
Analysis CubeSat 
Mission 
Success 
Analysis
CubeSat 
Databases
Working 
Groups
Big goal is working with Vanderbilt University on developing a 
MBMA toolsuite that encompasses traditional and new radiation 
hardness assurance (RHA) concepts and tools
16To be presented by Kenneth A. LaBel and Jonathan A. Pellish at the Microelectronics Reliability and Qualification Working (MRQW) Meeting, El Segundo, CA, February 6-8, 2018.
NEPP Small Mission Efforts and MBMA
(w/ NASA MBMA Program)
17To be presented by Kenneth A. LaBel and Jonathan A. Pellish at the Microelectronics Reliability and Qualification Working (MRQW) Meeting, El Segundo, CA, February 6-8, 2018.
Emerging Modeling
Vanderbilt University
Web-based tool (SEAM)
NASA/GSFC (Campola) - Vanderbilt
Notional RHA Tool (R-GENTIC)
Vanderbilt University
GSN Exemplar (SEE) – complete
TBD
GSN Exemplar – EEE parts reliability
NASA/GSFC (Xapsos) 
RHA Confidence Approach
Vanderbilt University
BN follow-on
BN integrated into SEAM
NASA/GSFC (Berg)
SEE Classic Reliability
NASA/GSFC (Campola)
Small Mission RHA
TBD
Small Mission EEE Parts Best Practices
Saint Louis University
CubeSat Success Study
JPL
CubeSat EEE Parts Databases
TBD
CubeSat EEE Parts Testing
Vanderbilt
CRÈME Toolsuite
Other
Integration with Small 
Spacecraft Virtual 
Institute (NASA/ARC)
https://www.nasa.gov/sm
allsat-institute
Other
MAIW
SmallSat Reliability Initiative 
(NASA/AF/ others)
TBD
Resilience, autonomy
Air Force SMC
CubeSat Supply Chain and
“Mid-space” Grade Electronics 
Survey and Requirements 
Definition
https://modelbasedassurance.org/
Infrastructure Challenges
Using Proton Cancer Therapy Centers
for electronics testing
To be presented by Kenneth A. LaBel and Jonathan A. Pellish at the Microelectronics Reliability and Qualification Working (MRQW) Meeting, El Segundo, CA, February 6-8, 2018. 18
“Status” on Where We Test
• The long-time facilities (used prior to IUCF shutdown
– Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Francis H. Burr Proton Therapy Center
– Tri-University Meson Facility (TRIUMF) – Vancouver, CAN
– James M. Slater, M.D. Proton Treatment and Research Center at Loma Linda 
University Medical Center (LLUMC)
• Newer locations that are selling time
– California Protons Cancer Therapy Center (formerly SCRIPPS Proton Therapy Center) 
– unclear if any change of policy or not
– Northwestern Medicine Chicago Proton Center
• Coming “soon” – either currently willing or planning on access
– Mayo Clinic Proton Beam Therapy Program, Rochester, Minnesota and Scottsdale, AZ
• NASA currently discussing contract options
– Cincinnati Children’s Proton Therapy Center
• Load by patients/internal research has been higher than anticipated slowing down external 
user access
– Hampton University Proton Therapy Institute, Hampton, Virginia
• Building a dedicated research room with planned June/July readiness
• Possibilities
– Oklahoma City’s ProCure Proton Therapy Center
– The Roberts Proton Therapy Center at University of Pennsylvania Health System
– Maryland Proton Treatment Center, Baltimore, Maryland
• Renegotiating new contract with Varian services – outcome will determine access
– M.D. Anderson Cancer Center's Proton Center, Houston
Always open to discussions with ANY location
19To be presented by Kenneth A. LaBel and Jonathan A. Pellish at the Microelectronics Reliability and Qualification Working (MRQW) Meeting, El Segundo, CA, February 6-8, 2018.
Working Industry/Agency-Wide 
Concerns
Tantalum capacitor failure
Failure analysis of Schottky 
diode radiation damage
Cross-section of failure 
location
Thermal Image of failure locations
High magnitude optical 
images of failure 
locations
To be presented by Kenneth A. LaBel and Jonathan A. Pellish at the Microelectronics Reliability and Qualification Working (MRQW) Meeting, El Segundo, CA, February 6-8, 2018. 20
Vendor Validation Tests
GaN IC – radiation test analysis Comparison of n-type 60V trench 
MOSFET SEB thresholds
To be presented by Kenneth A. LaBel and Jonathan A. Pellish at the Microelectronics Reliability and Qualification Working (MRQW) Meeting, El Segundo, CA, February 6-8, 2018. 21
Partnering is key
• Within
– NASA
• With
– Other 
government 
agencies
– Industry
– University
– International
To be presented by Kenneth A. LaBel and Jonathan A. Pellish at the Microelectronics Reliability and Qualification Working (MRQW) Meeting, El Segundo, CA, February 6-8, 2018. 22
9th Annual NEPP
Electronics 
Technology 
Workshop (ETW)
23To be presented by Kenneth A. LaBel and Jonathan A. Pellish at the Microelectronics Reliability and Qualification Working (MRQW) Meeting, El Segundo, CA, February 6-8, 2018.
Scheduled dates:
June 18-21, 2018
NASA/GSFC and on-line
Radiation Testing
Advanced Technology Reliability
Commercial IC Packaging
Emerging Assurance Methods
(Witulski, Vanderbilt University, NEPP ETW 2017)
NASA STMD
• Relevant efforts
– High Performance Spacecraft Computing (HPSC)
• “The goal of the HPSC activities is to develop a 
significantly improved spaceflight computing capability for 
NASA missions.This will be achieved by addressing the 
computational performance, energy management, and fault 
tolerance needs of NASA missions through 2030.”
• ARM chiplet approach selected with Boeing as prime
• https://gameon.nasa.gov/projects-2/high-performance-
spaceflight-computing/
– Advanced Memory Technology
• Initial manufacturing status and usage studies for 
advanced memory technologies relevant to HPSC needs
– Focus on DDRX style interface devices for performance 
needed
• Collaborative testing with NEPP Program
24To be presented by Kenneth A. LaBel and Jonathan A. Pellish at the Microelectronics Reliability and Qualification Working (MRQW) Meeting, El Segundo, CA, February 6-8, 2018.
NASA SETMO
• NASA SETMO
– Along with EEE Parts Manager, NEPP, and others have 
been given approval to develop “radiation common 
block buys” (i.e., single contracts between NASA and 
external radiation facilities)
– This may allow NASA to
• Internally prioritize access
• Schedule regular access
• Provide support to critical facilities
• Aid working with new facilities (e.g., proton therapy sites, 
etc…)
25To be presented by Kenneth A. LaBel and Jonathan A. Pellish at the Microelectronics Reliability and Qualification Working (MRQW) Meeting, El Segundo, CA, February 6-8, 2018.
https://nepp.nasa.gov
To be presented by Kenneth A. LaBel and Jonathan A. Pellish at the Microelectronics Reliability and Qualification Working (MRQW) Meeting, El Segundo, CA, February 6-8, 2018. 26


NASA's Changing Electronics Landscape: NEPP Focus, Agency Alignment, and Technology Development

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