A brief History of mixed Circuit and Module Technology(3)

Safety

Obsolete elimination of products is a very serious problem for the military industry. 30 to 50 years of project life is common, so military and aerospace equipment suppliers are constantly looking for ways to reduce risk. Hybrid circuits and modules have been a way of trying to isolate the rapid changes in the defense and semiconductor industries. Memory modules are a particular area of interest because DRAM and SRAM technologies have a particularly short lifespan. The concept of standard shape size and pin layout can be maintained while the memory chip in the module can be updated. This is much easier to write than it actually is, in part because of continued progress in access time, architecture, and power supply voltage. On the other hand, an embedded processor card using a standard format can provide a more advanced approach, if space permits. However, the concept of standard dimensions is at the heart of many obsolete phase-out management strategies and is undoubtedly a major factor affecting the life of hybrid circuits and modular solutions.