A current limiter for satellite power protection

Latching current limiters (LCL) are used in space missions to improve the reliability of spacecrafts. The LCL is used in DC power distribution systems to isolate faults and protect satellite payloads. The presented LCL topology is a PMOS power transistor associated with a control circuit, which allows the adjustment of the limiting current and to set the trip-off time. These parameters are important to keep the transistor operating inside the safe operating area. An inductor was added to the power path to eliminate the short-circuit peak current, keeping the entire network stable. Moreover, the LCL provides current and voltage telemetries and a fault indication signal to check the status of the load. The functionality of the LCL was verified by simulations and by tests on prototyping circuits. Radiation tests were performed on MOSFETs and the drift in Vth\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$V_\mathrm{th}$$\end{document} (threshold voltage), due to ionizing radiation exposure, was extracted and used to analyze the response of LCL in harsh environment. The control circuit was designed and partially integrated into the 0.6μm\documentclass[12pt]{minimal} \usepackage{amsmath} \usepackage{wasysym} \usepackage{amsfonts} \usepackage{amssymb} \usepackage{amsbsy} \usepackage{mathrsfs} \usepackage{upgreek} \setlength{\oddsidemargin}{-69pt} \begin{document}$$0.6 \mu m$$\end{document} CMOS technology.