TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Electronics

The technology within this topic is restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulation (ITAR), which controls the export and import of defense-related material and services. Offerors must disclose any proposed use of foreign nationals, their country of origin, and what tasks each would accomplish in the statement of work in accordance with section 3.5.b.(7) of the solicitation.

OBJECTIVE: High power radar modules are required for Electronically Scanned Arrays (ESA) to provide significant system performance improvements. These modules from a system perspective are a major portion of the system cost and they provide thermal and reliability challenges to designers and manufacturers that must be over come to provide effective ESA solutions. Innovative passive technologies that help mitigate thermal management issues resulting from component device junction thermal dissipation are sought. Improved designs for optimized electrical and thermal performance as well as thermal management mateirals and processes that can support high power densities of wide bandgap power amplifiers are sought.

DESCRIPTION: Current microwave power amplifiers being devleoped will operate at power densities up to 5 times higher than current power amplifer technologies. Low cost design and manufacturing chip-level, component level and module level thermal management technologies are required that reduce operating junction temperatures for these developing high power RF power amplifiers. Wide bandgap semiconductors have demonstrated system performance improvements including size, weight and power. The intrinsic material properties of wide bandgap semiconductors make them ideal engineering solutions for many microwave/millimeter wave radar applications. Wide bandgap power amplifiers have operational power densities several times that of GaAs based devices which enable higher power and longer range target discrimination as well as decreased aperture size. Developing high power wide bandgap devices have power densities that exceed traditional thermal management technologies capabilities significantly. Innovative technologies that target the reduction, efficient spreading or removal of localized heat generated in the gate region of high power wide bandgap devices are sought. Traditional thermal management technologies that address module level heat spreading and module heat removal that improve the device gate power dissipation issue will provide limited benefits, this topic seeks new concepts targeting optimal thermal management solutions that directly address localized gate power dissipation. The selected technologies will address design, material and process technology improvements that significantly improve removal of power dissipated in the region of the wide bandgap semiconductor gate efficiency as well as providing optimal device/module power and efficiency required for effectively addressing ESA system performance.

PHASE I: Identify, model and demonstrate innovative material/design/process technologies that significantly improve device gate level thermal management through reduced power dissipation (higher efficiency) and/or improved heat removal/spreading while maintaining device existing performance. The device junction temperature should be reduced by approximately >30% without degrading component performance, reliability or manufacturability.

PHASE II: Develop and demonstrate a prototype of an identified radar transition module that demonstrates low cost, manufacturability and required thermal performance. The prototype development should validate thermal performance as well as identify reliability and cost of the proposed technologies.

PHASE III: Transition developed technologies into a transition system insertion and demonstrate performance, reliability and cost benefits shall be identified.

PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL/DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: The proposed technology shall be of interest to and transitioned to a wide range of ESA applications including radar, EW and communications.

REFERENCES:
1. Francis, D., Wasserbauer, J., Faili, F., Babic, D., Ejeckam, F., Hong, W., Specht, P., Weber, E.R., "GaN-HEMT Epilayers on Diamond Substrates: Recent Progress," Compound Semiconductor Manufacturing Technology Conference, May 13-18, 2007, Austin.

2. http://www.sp3inc.com/pdf/dia_pins.pdf.

3. http://amsacta.cib.unibo.it/archive/00001374/01/GA052242.PDF.

KEYWORDS: ESA;Radar; EW; Thermal Management; Device Junction;power amplifier.

** TOPIC AUTHOR (TPOC) **

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