A Fault-Tolerant Time-Predictable Processor

Advancements in commercial space applications have increased interest in deploying FPGA devices with soft processors on satellite systems. Processors are a vital component in all satellite payloads used for control functions and on-board data processing. However, a high integration level within an FPGA causes high sensitivity to ionising radiation-induced errors, requiring mitigation for single event effects to ensure reliable operation. In this paper, a triple-core lock-step processor for radiation-induced soft-errors mitigation is presented that aims to reduce the probability of a processor failure due to soft-errors. Aerospace applications are also defined by strict real-time requirements for processors, thus the design is implemented using Patmos, a time-predictable processor of the T-CREST multicore research platform.