Updated Results from Deep Trek High-Temperature Electronics Development Programs

Author: Bruce W. Ohme, Honeywell Inc., Plymouth, MN.

Venue: HITEN 2007 (High-Temperature Electronics Network conference), St. Catherine’s College, Oxford, U.K., September 17–19, 2007, (http://science24.com/event/hiten2007 [external site]).

Abstract: Electronics are used in modern oil and gas exploration to collect, log, and/or process data such as heading and inclination, weight on the bit, vibration, seismic/acoustic response, temperature, pressure, radiation, and resistivity of the strata. High-temperature electronics are needed that can operate reliably in deep-well conditions (up to 250^oC). Under its Deep Trek program, the U.S. Department of Energy has funded two projects led by Honeywell. The first project, launched in 2003 and being completed this year, established a production-level integrated circuit manufacturing process, components, and design tools specifically targeting high-temperature environments (up to 250^oC). The second project, launched in 2006 and expected to be completed in 2008, will develop rugged packaging suitable for downhole shock and vibration levels that will be used to house and demonstrate components developed in the earlier project. This paper will describe updated results from both of these projects, including previously unreported results obtained from prototype testing of a high-resolution analog-to-digital converter (ADC); a high-temperature, single-poly, floating-gate EEPROM (electrically erasable programmable read-only memory); and a 12-bit, successive-approximation ADC. Also, a multi-chip module being developed as a complete downhole processing unit will be discussed

Related NETL Projects: The presentation is related to two separate NETL projects. The goal of the related NETL project DE-FC26-03NT41834, “Development of Silicon-On-Insulator (SOI) High Temperature Electronics,” is to improve the reliability of high-temperature electronic components found in the downhole “smart drilling” tools needed to improve drilling efficiency and success rate at depths of 20,000 feet and greater and at temperatures exceeding 225^oC. This will be done by utilizing silicon-on-insulator-based technology to develop various high-priority electronic components. The goal of the related NETL project DE-FC26-06NT42947, “Deep Trek Reconfigurable Processor for Data Acquisition,” is to develop and qualify a reconfigurable processor for data acquisition (RPDA) by packaging previously developed components in an advanced high-temperature multi-chip module and by developing configuration software that may be embedded within the RPDA to link data-acquisition system analog front-ends to digital system busses.

NETL Project Contacts
NETL (DE-FC26-03NT41834) – Gary Covatch (gary.covatch@netl.doe.gov or 304-285-4589)
NETL (DE-FC26-06NT42947) – Jamie Brown (Jamie.Brown@netl.doe.gov or 304-285-5428)
Honeywell – Bruce W. Ohme (bruce.ohme@honeywell.com or 763-954-2189)