IMPLEMENTATION AND ENGINEERING MODEL TESTING OF IP BLOCKS FOR IMAGE SENSOR OUTPUTS FASTER THAN 1 GBIT/S
About This Opportunity
This is a services contract in the information and communication technology sector. Located in Belgium, Europe, this opportunity is open to firms and consortiums.
Published through ESA - European Space Agency, a multilateral development bank that follows standardized international procurement guidelines. Projects funded by multilateral institutions are generally open to international bidders from eligible member countries for services in the information and communication technology sector. Service contracts are typically evaluated on both technical quality and price, and may require bidders to demonstrate relevant experience and qualified personnel. This is an advance notice — the formal tender is expected to be published shortly. Interested parties can use this time to prepare documentation and identify potential partners.
Description
Objectives: To have a fully European IP block to be used by European Image Sensor designers heavily dependent onnon-European sources.
The objective of this activity is to design and validate high throughput serial outputsfor image sensors for dual use applications.Description:The future of infrared and visible sensors (larger formats, smaller pixels, fast frame rates) is tightly linkedtothe ability to read them out fast, but European detector manufacturers have not yet developed thecapability to adopt newer and faster communication protocols.In applications like Earth Observation, there is trend in image sensors towards more pixels and faster framerates, with analogue to digital conversion performed on chip. Transfer of information from the detector diecan become challenging using parallelized transfer standards, either limiting the frame rate or increasingthe complexity of the electrical interface.JESD204 interface standard is an ideal solution, offering a higherspeedserial interface with reduced pin-counts compared to the options currently used.In this activity, a JESD204-enabling circuitry for the Read-Out Integrated Circuits (ROICs) of image sensorsshall be implemented in the selected technology node and verified to be used in future detector designs.The IP blocks shall be radiation hard and compatible with a European foundry. The design shall bedemonstrated and verified, with the IP blocks becoming available for the European detector designcommunity.Parallel developments targeting most relevant technologies for infrared CMOS ROICs manufactured inEurope shall be implemented. It is anticipated that this leap-forward in interface speed and simplicity shallbe adopted by all European detector manufacturers using the relevant technology nodes and so shallbecome the dominant output interface in European space missions using digital output infrared sensors.This activity shall encompass the following tasks:- Study the latest JESD204 standard and future needs of the detector market in line with the developmentschedule of this activity- Derivation of requirements, IP Blocks architecture and identification of configurable parameters- Design of the IP blocks including test circuitry- Manufacture engineering model devices- Design and manufacture of the EGSE to assess the devices- Electrical and radiation test andcharacterization of the devices- Debugging and realization of the prototype- Support detector companies to implement and interface with the IP block.
Data provenance
This notice is sourced from ESA - European Space Agency and was originally published on June 1, 2026. Last refreshed 3 days ago. BidsFactory mirrors official procurement notices and links back to the source for full legal text.
About European Space Agency (ESA)
European Space Agency (ESA) has issued 555 procurement notices on BidsFactory, including 204 currently open and 138 awarded contracts. Activity concentrates in Information & Communication Technology, Transport & Logistics, and Environment & Climate. Tenders span 9 countries including Denmark, Czech Republic, and Austria. Notices are distributed via ESA - European Space Agency. Most recent publication: June 10, 2026.
Frequently asked questions about this tender
How can I submit a bid?
Visit ESA - European Space Agency to access the full notice, required documents, and submission instructions provided by the contracting authority.
Who is the contracting authority?
This notice was issued by European Space Agency (ESA) in Belgium. The authority is responsible for evaluating bids, awarding the contract, and managing performance.
What type of contract is this?
This is a Services contract in the Information & Communication Technology sector. The classification helps bidders match the opportunity to their qualifications and registered scope of supply.
Where will the contract be performed?
The contract is for delivery in Belgium. Foreign bidders should review local registration, taxation, and any in-country presence requirements before submitting.
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