ENGENIUSMICRO LLC — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: N212-132

Description

Robust electronic packaging is critical to the performance of inertial sensors in austere environments and to mitigate damage from mechanical, thermal, and radiation effects. Mechanical damage originates from large shocks and vibrations and significant harmonic loading. Thermal damage and thermal errors originate from poor temperature control and induced thermal stresses. Precision microfabricated sensors can suffer significant errors due to temperature and induced strains. Finally, ionizing radiation exposure and/or high-power RF countermeasures disrupt critical integrated circuits by inducing charges or changing the physical properties of the semiconductor material itself. The integrated circuits are critical for signal conditioning and error compensation. Meeting the environmental needs for precision sensors with low-SWaP-C requires considerable design and integration of the sensors, integrated electronics, and package.   This proposal will develop integrated radiation spot shielding and thermal isolation for additively manufactured packages. The concept includes a ceramic package with integrated vias and conductors. The package includes a large internal volume to house mechanical protection, thermal protection, mounted sensors, and electronics. The package will include a large internal footprint to package multi-chip modules and chip-bonded stacks. The proposed work will develop 1) materials and processes required to additively manufacture radiation shielding materials. 2) materials and processes to mitigate thermal stresses due to die attachment to the package, and 3) integration of these new material systems with our existing ceramic printed packages.