Back to the future - finding obsolete solutions
30 November 2010
Military and aerospace markets have a challenge ahead, that of addressing the obsolescence of key semiconductor components for vital systems. The reasons are clear – there are weapons platforms in service now that have by far and away exceeded their scheduled life. There are, however, different ways of dealing with the obsolescence issues that this brings, as Eric Marcelot discusses.
A case in point is the B-52 bomber, which e2v aerospace and defense Inc. (previously QP Semiconductor) ships parts for on a weekly basis. It may seem hard to believe, but this platform has been in service for over half a century and is likely to continue to be in operation for at least another 30 years. This means that a project that was initially supposed to have a 30-50 year life cycle will have exceeded 80 years by the time it is grounded.
In addition, driven by commercial markets, it is estimated that 3% of the global pool of electronic components is made obsolete each month, and on a long term defence project, typically 50-70% of the semiconductor products incorporated are made obsolete before the programme is even commissioned. So this is very much a problem for future systems as well as existing ones.
It is therefore vital that a new approach is taken to managing and mitigating against the effects of semiconductor obsolescence, an approach which can help with the platforms and systems being developed today as well as those already in service.
Military use
The long service life of military systems has proved a large enough issue to prompt plans to supply parts in the far future for the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. Such is the pace of technological change compared to the much longer process from drawing board to roll out, that many of the parts that have been integrally built into the F-35 will have already generated end-of-life notices, even before entering full service. The wider public would be surprised to know that many of the components in their Government’s military platforms are no longer in regular production before they have seen one hour of active service.
Component obsolescence is therefore a growing concern for the industries they serve, as semiconductor companies discontinue products despite the need to keep platforms running for decades after their projected lifetimes - while needing to avoid issues such as spiralling costs and counterfeit goods entering the supply chain from uncontrolled sources.
Political perspectives
Looking broader, it is also a concern for the politicians who have to sell and defend the reputation of their military products to business, elected officials and the public.
The reliability and safety of such platforms is a clear and obvious political concern. It is fine for your local garage to run out of spare parts every now and then; for a Government to have any supply issues when servicing their long standing platforms would be a political disaster.
The challenge is to balance these hard facts against the accelerating pace of semiconductor product change and development. This issue was addressed in a 2008 Ministry of Defence paper on defence technology strategy.
It reported; ‘Scientific understanding and the technologies that emerge from this improved knowledge are growing at an ever increasing pace and offer a wide diversity of solutions to this evolving threat environment. Our task is to anticipate, prepare and meet the forthcoming challenges by being highly innovative, agile and flexible in our approach to defence science and technology based R&D. This must be complemented by rapid exploitation to yield military advantage with an ever increasing tempo’.
Although component obsolescence is a factor primarily in the aerospace and defence industries, it is also a factor in a range of professional industries such as nuclear plants, oil drilling, rail transportation and factory automation. In fact any where there is a need for maintenance of electronic equipment for very long periods and/or where systems re-design and recertification costs are predominant versus the cost of acquisition of the components themselves.
Lifecycle management
The conclusion reached by e2v is to implement a new approach to the design, manufacture and through life support of aerospace, defence and long lifecycle commercial systems. In other words, to prepare for and mitigate against, the effects of component obsolescence as part of a Lifecycle Management Programme. In doing this, e2v is combining the knowledge of their teams in California and Grenoble to form the
Hi-rel semiconductor solutions division of e2v. Through this, they offer security of through-life supply via a new Semiconductor Lifecycle Management Programme, a process which plans for obsolescence mitigation of key semiconductor components at the start of a product or system development, rather than waiting for obsolescence to become an issue whilst also offering assistance to existing systems in need of an obsolescence solution.
Whilst semiconductor obsolescence management is an established approach, the reality of support and expertise available from many suppliers in this market space is limited to fire fighting the obsolescence problem after it has occurred, with an inefficient and unreliable ad-hoc approach, risking allowing counterfeit product to enter service.
This is not satisfactory. e2v’s lifecycle management approach presents;
• Re-design and re-engineering facilities; wafer banking and lifetime continuity of
supply
• A range of hi-rel semiconductor products, including hi-rel microprocessors, system interconnect and MRAM products, broadband data converters and the QP Semi IC product line
• A secured and flexible supply chain for hi-rel products, protecting against counterfeit risks
• A DSCC qualified manufacturer listing.
Critical to managing existing platforms is the ability to work with OEMs and systems users to review current LTB inventory and to work to manage lifetime supply and future cost for key components. We need to secure supply and reliability for maximum program continuity, resulting in a reduced need for redesign costs and obsolescence pricing clauses.
Case in Point
e2v recently entered an agreement with Freescale Semiconductor to extend the useful life of 68K-series microprocessors for the military, aerospace, commercial, and industrial markets. e2v will wafer bank die based on advised customer requirements to ensure the continued supply of the devices following the discontinuance of the products by Freescale. Once Freescale ceases production of the 68020, 68882, and 68C00 processors, e2v’s portfolio of high reliability grade products will be extended with commercial-grade versions in both plastic and ceramic packages. Based on up front forecast requirements, the Freescale products will remain available from e2v for the next 10 years, or longer.
In April, e2v aerospace and defense also released re-engineered versions of the QP Semi QP741 and QP747 operational amplifiers, manufactured on a bipolar process to serve as drop-in replacements for the National/Fairchild LM741 used in key military/aerospace applications. Essentially, e2v is extending its product range for a wider set of applications, where system redesign is complex and expensive.
As long established existing platforms have their lives extended by decades, obsolescence management will continue to be a growing business. The industry needs to keep proactive in order to fully service the platforms of the future – not forgetting the platforms of today.
The author is Marketing Manager of High Rel Semiconductor Solutions at e2V
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