N093-187 TITLE: Innovative manufacturing processes and materials for affordable Transmit/Receive (T/R) module Production

TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Materials/Processes, Sensors

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: NON-ACAT X-Band and S-Band Radars and EW Arrays

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: Innovative materials, manufacturing processes and/or packaging technologies are needed to minimize material/manufacturing costs of Radar/ EW Transmit/Receive(T/R) modules for NAVY IWS shipboard Phased Array Radar/EW Electronically Steered Arrays (ESAs) having an anticipated 20 year service life.

DESCRIPTION: Reduction in T/R module packaging cost is essential to fielding today and tomorrows large high power phased array radars and EW systems. Low cost module packaging and interconnection substrates are required that can satisfy the naval shipboard environment for 20 years deployed service for high power microwave T/R modules. Affordable high reliability T/R module packaging technologies are needed, material and manufacturing costs must be minimized while providing the Radar/EW system performance that is required. The materials, manufacturing processes and/or packaging technologies being developed here must provide reliable operation and address module design factors such as thermal coefficient of expansion matching, thermal dissipation and electrical performance efficiencies required by state of the art WBG T/R modules that are to be used in NAVY IWS shipboard Phased Array Radar/EW Electronically Steered Arrays (ESAs) having an anticipated 20 year service life. Metric for success will be no degradation, improvement is desired, of electrical performance (gain, current consumption, input/output impedance, S-parameters) and maintain environmental EMI, temperature and moisture ingress/absorption protection needed while reducing the overall module assembly complexity and cost by 20 percent.

PHASE I: Conduct innovative R&D to design, model, and/or develop materials, manufacturing processes and/or packaging technologies meeting the intent of this topic. Provide a feasibility report with recommendations for proposed solution with the resolved tradeoffs.

PHASE II: Complete needed R&D to develop manufacturing processes and prototype test modules with the materials, manufacturing processes and/or packaging technologies identified in Phase I. Evaluate stable MMIC/ T/R module electrical performance over anticipated operational temperature ranges and meet, or exceed this topics stated objectives. Establish critical new manufacturing processes and test hardware performance to evaluate feasibility of the developed technologies and manufacturing processes to provide production ready T/R Modules that will satisfy the operational requirements of a Navy IWS Radar or EW system. In addition, conduct preliminary cost modeling to show that the technology is cost competitive with current State of the Art (SOA) T/R module production processes.

PHASE III: Establish manufacturing processes and quality controls to provide production quality materials, manufacturing processes and/or packaging technologies integrated into T/R modules needed by Navy IWS Radar and EW applications. Manufacture T/R modules to evaluate final processes and conduct electrical and environmental performance testing of the technology. Conduct cost modeling to show that the developed technology is cost competitive with current State of the Art (SOA) T/R module production processes.

PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL/DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: New and innovative T/R module materials, manufacturing processes and/or packaging technologies that can provide lower cost T/R modules will have applications in other commercial and government radars and RF equipment as well as on numerous military radar and EW systems.

REFERENCES:
1. "GaAs MMIC Reliability Assurance Guideline for Space Applications", S. Kayali, G. Ponchak, R.Shaw, JPL Publication 96-25.

2. Bahl, I., and P. Bhartia, Microwave Solid State Circuit Design, John Wiley & Sons, Inc., New York, 1988.

3. Electronic Materials Handbook, Volume 1 Packaging, ASM International.

KEYWORDS: Transmit/Receive (T/R) Modules, Electronics packaging; MMIC; Radar; EW;

** TOPIC AUTHOR (TPOC) **

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