This book reviews fault-tolerance techniques for SRAM-based Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), outlining many methods for designing fault tolerance systems. Some of these are based on new fault-tolerant architecture, and others on protecting the high-level hardware description before synthesis in the FPGA. The text helps the reader choose the best techniques project-by-project, and to compare fault tolerant techniques for programmable logic applications.

This book introduces the concepts of soft errors in FPGAs, as well as the motivation for using commercial, off-the-shelf (COTS) FPGAs in mission-critical and remote applications, such as aerospace. The authors describe the effects of radiation in FPGAs, present a large set of soft-error mitigation techniques that can be applied in these circuits, as well as methods for qualifying these circuits under radiation. Coverage includes radiation effects in FPGAs, fault-tolerant techniques for FPGAs, use of COTS FPGAs in aerospace applications, experimental data of FPGAs under radiation, FPGA embedded processors under radiation and fault injection in FPGAs. Since dedicated parallel processing architectures such as GPUs have become more desirable in aerospace applications due to high computational power, GPU analysis under radiation is also discussed.

This book describes fault tolerance techniques based on software and hardware to create hybrid techniques. They are able to reduce overall performance degradation and increase error detection when associated with applications implemented in embedded processors. Coverage begins with an extensive discussion of the current state-of-the-art in fault tolerance techniques. The authors then discuss the best trade-off between software-based and hardware-based techniques and introduce novel hybrid techniques. Proposed techniques increase existing fault detection rates up to 100%, while maintaining low performance overheads in area and application execution time.

Nowadays using SRAM based FPGAs in space missions is increasingly considered due to their flexibility and reprogrammability. A challenge is the devices sensitivity to radiation effects that increased with modern architectures due to smaller CMOS structures. This work proposes fault tolerance methodologies, that are based on a fine grain view to modern reconfigurable architectures. The focus is on SEU mitigation challenges in SRAM based FPGAs which can result in crucial situations.

Comprehensive coverage of all aspects of space application oriented fault tolerance techniques • Experienced expert author working on fault tolerance for Chinese space program for almost three decades • Initiatively provides a systematic texts for the cutting-edge fault tolerance techniques in spacecraft control computer, with emphasis on practical engineering knowledge • Presents fundamental and advanced theories and technologies in a logical and easy-to-understand manner • Beneficial to readers inside and outside the area of space applications