Advanced Electronics and Optics
Abstract
Advanced Electronics and Optics is a series of efforts addressing advanced manufacturing technologies for a wide range of applications such as sensors, radars, power generation, switches, and optics for defense applications. Focal points are productivity and efficiency gains in the defense manufacturing base to accelerate delivery of technical capabilities to impact current warfighting operations, and manufacturing technologies to reduce the cost, acquisition time and risk of our major defense acquisition programs. Future efforts will focus on advances in fuel cells, radars, conformal sensors, and solder free electronics. Increased Thickness for Large Sheet Edge Defined Film-Fed Growth (EFG) Sapphire Production (FY 2016): Establish a repeatable process capable of producing finished sapphire windows with the following dimensions: 13.5” x 24” 0.5”. Sapphire sheet production process improvements will transition to current and next generation DoD applications. Applications include F-35 Electro-Optical Targeting System (EOTS), High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS), UCLASS, DDG-1000, and other programs that use sapphire panels. Silicon Carbide (SiC) High Efficiency Power Switches (FY 2014-2016): Enable a new class of power electronics that allows flexible new architectures at higher voltages, higher frequencies, less volume and weight, higher temperatures, higher efficiency (reduced fuel consumption), and better power quality that allow flexible architectures with enhanced electronics in a smaller footprint. Demonstrated on a naval power conditioning application reduced the weight by 90% and volume by 30%. Reduce high voltage pulsed diode $/Amp from $0.40 at 6kv to $0.27 at >20kV. Applications include Army - Ground Combat Vehicle (PEO GCS, PM-GCV); Navy - DDG51 Flight III (Electric Ships Office, PMS-320); and Air Force – F-35, F-22 (MEA & F-35 Offices). Mini Short-wave Infrared (SWIR) Cameras and Imagers (FY 2014-2016): Expedite the transition of 10 um (TEC)-less SWIR cameras to the warfighter and develop wafer level processing techniques to improve yield and reduce contaminants in the SWIR focal plane array (FPA)/ camera assembly. Will establish the industrial base for SWIR technology systems and components. Reduced unit cost allows more individuals to carry imagers; 6x improved cost, reduced from $30K to $5K; 3x reduced size from 3cm3 to 1 cm3; 3x reduced weight from 120 g to 40 g. Applications include COSI, INOD, COS3, AWST, Joint Effect Targeting System (JETS), IDNST, PAWS, and MTS-B. Mini Vis - SWIR Cameras and Imagers (FY 2015/2016): Develop a manufacturing capability to produce one camera that can see the entire spectral band of Visible, Near Infrared (NIR), and Short-wave Infrared (SWIR); while being compatible with visible, NIR, and SWIR laser pointers and illuminators. Applications include: COSI, INOD, COS3, Advanced Weapon Sight Technology (AWST), Joint Effect Targeting System (JETS), Integrated Day/Night Sight Technology (IDNST), PAWS, and Multispectral Targeting System (MTS-B). Manufacturability of Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers (VCSELs) – Phase I (FY 2014/2015) (FY 2014 effort jointly resourced with Industrial Base Innovation Funds.) Develop better performance for laser sights, laser illuminators, and laser designators as measured by Size, Weight and Power and wider scale deployment of critical laser-based systems due to lower cost. Provide clearer illumination critical for positive Identification Friend vs. Foe, facial ID, weapons ID; covert wavelengths (808, 850, 975 and 1064 nm, + 1550 nm); improve packaging (10-100x smaller and lighter products); increase reliability (10,000 hrs.). Applications include PUMA, RAVEN, TigerShark, Anubis, Spectre-FINDER, Speckles, TigerMoth, WAAS, PAWS, IPODS, AngelFire, MAV-OBAT, nLoss, LOS-short, CLRF, Joint Effect Targeting System (JETS), IDNST, TLDS, Big Safari, OEF, OIF, STINGER, ARGUS, and others. Manufacturability of Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers (VCSELs) – Phase II (FY 2016): Develop the capability to produce a Multi-Function Laser Illuminator and Pointer that delivers the functionality of five different devices (Green, NIR, and Short-wave Infrared (SWIR) Laser Pointers plus NIR and SWIR illuminators) in a single, high-power, lightweight unit, which would give the warfighter commonality with all other weapon systems and be covert. Would provide the SWIR VCSEL a three-fold increase in efficiency and output power to meet critical needs for covert illumination in both High Definition and SXGA formats. Applications include: PUMA, RAVEN, TigerShark, Anubis, Spectre-FINDER, Speckles, TigerMoth, WAAS, PAWS, IPODS, AngelFire, MAV-OBAT, nLoss, LOS-short, CLRF, Joint Effect Targeting System (JETS), IDNST, TLDS, Big Safari, OEF, OIF, STINGER , and ARGUS, others. Vital Infrared Sensor Technology Acceleration (VISTA) High Temp Mid-Wave Infrared (MWIR) Detectors (FY 2016): Establish a critical domestic industrial base for MWIR focal plan arrays (FPA) having capabilities in III-V antimony-based IR FPAs to reduce size, weight, power, and cost while increasing yield and operability as an alternative to current technology. Will achieve wafer production scale-up to 40-50 wafers per month while shortening sensor turn-on and cool down time by 50%, extending cooler lifetimes 150% - 200% as a result of reduced stress during temperature cycling, and substantially reducing the sensor lifecycle maintenance cost. Applications include: Air Force: EODAS Enhancement (F-35), EOTS Enhancement (F-35), LWIRST (F-15), Targeting System Enhancements (MQ-9, F-16), Overhead Persistent Infrared (OPIR); Army: Next Gen FLIR, Degraded Visual Environment, Rotary Wing Pilotage; Navy: Shipboard Multifunction Sensors (APDIS), Overhead Persistent Surveillance for USMC, UAV, and Navy: BAMS, F-18 (Advanced IRST), EO/IR Standard Integration System (EISIS), and Affordable Modular Panoramic Photonics Mast. Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) Microdisplays - Phase II (FY 2016): Phase I initiated using FY 2014 IBIF resources. Establish manufacturing capability for producing an ultra-high resolution, high brightness, high contrast, full color microdisplay at a low unit cost. Mature and combine manufacturing processes: Silicon on Insulator (SOI) and Direct Patterning technologies to enable a 5X improvement in yield and 5X longer lifetime of displays, reducing life cycle costs. $141.7M savings for aviation (17,700 displays between 2017-2032) x $8K/unit savings). Applications include F-35 Heads-up Helmet Mounted Display System, Apache, Enhanced Night Vision Goggles, F-18, F-15, F-16, affordable color/monochrome displays with high brightness and high contrast to enable Warfighter to fully use sensors and cuing/augmented reality hardware. Improved Focal Plane Array (FPA) – Hyperspectral – Phase II (FY 2016): Phase I initiated using FY 2014 IBIF resources. Demonstrate utility of III-V based FPAs for Long-Wave Infrared (LWIR) Hyperspectral (HIS) applications. Up to $1M/year/sensor reduction in system life cycle costs compared to arsenic-doped silicon blocked impurity band (Si:As BIB) detectors. Significant reduction in up-front costs compared to Mercury Cadmium Telluride (MCT). Improved reliability, maintainability, and availability, along with increased detection range.
Document Details
- Document Type
- Accomplishment
- Publication Date
- Oct 01, 2016
- Source ID
- 3b67bf8ee870bbd41e3ab85cfd4c746b