The warfighter has become critically dependent on the ability of systems to process, store, and transmit information to achieve force multiplication through remote and distributed awareness and control. Key military equipment (e.g., sensor packages, satellites, manportable communications equipment) must meet stringent military requirements as described in Joint Vision 2010 (e.g., radiation and high-temperature environments, extended operating lifetimes, lower weight, high performance) to achieve force multiplication throughout the range of potential warfighter environments. A crucial factor affecting DoD's ability to provide superior capabilities to the warfighter is the cost of electronic systems, which depends directly on the producibility, quality, and cost of microelectronics devices, circuits, and fabrication technologies. The challenge facing DoD is to formulate an investment strategy that leverages the more than $150 billion commercial microelectronics market while still maintaining technology leads in low-volume areas that are key to military applications.
Over the short term (1-2 years), electronic systems enabled by microelectronics should double the capability for processing information in the battlespace, while reducing cost, power consumption, and weight by a factor of two. In the mid term (3-5 years), it is expected that microelectronics will enable a doubling of sensing resolution, range, or speed; reduce power consumption by a factor of 10; and reduce weight by a factor of 10. In the long term (6-10 years), microelectronics innovations should provide an order-of-magnitude improvement in the range of sensing capabilities, while decreasing cost, power consumption, and weight by more than a factor of 100.
The technologies for signal conversion and processing, low-power, radiation-resistant microelectronics, and microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) all have the potential to significantly increase the capabilities of weapon platforms and information systems and simultaneously decrease their size, weight, cost, and assembly complexity. The dramatic rate of microelectronics technology innovation has also created the need to ensure that the warfighter has access to current state-of-the-art microelectronics to sustain superiority. Toward that end, the rapid transition of new technology to the industrial base and insertion of new (possibly commercial) technologies into military systems will continue to play an increasingly important role in meeting future warfighter needs.
The microelectronics technology is geared toward meeting very unique military requirements through the exploitation of pivotal technologies based on a range of electronic materials (e.g., silicon and its compounds SiGe and SiC; GaAs and other III-V compounds) and novel processes for new device structures (e.g., MEMS and radiation-resistant components) and circuit applications (e.g., A/D converters and inertial measurement systems). Military use of these technologies, associated with deep submission, 250-nmi feature sizes, will enable order-of-magnitude advances in sensors, low-power systems, and complex, radiation-resistant integrated electronic functions (for signal conversion, processing, amplification, and microelectromechanical sensing) These are to be implemented with advanced design architecture. This will allow handling of 10-1,000 times more data at several hundred times higher throughput through parallelism, functional density, and device speed, and covering a broad spectral range from dc to several tens of gigahertz.
3.8.2.1 Goals and Timeframes. The United States must maintain its military superiority in an era of rapidly changing microelectronics technology. This superiority is based on (1) force multiplication through advanced microelectronics (technology and component applications) with a minimum number of platforms and personnel, and (2) actively avoiding technological surprises in future combat scenarios. In this context, the microelectronics subarea develops device, circuit, and fabrication technologies to realize digital, analog, and mixed-signal integrated circuits that are needed for introduction in a timely and planned fashion into weapon systems ensuring superiority over our adversaries. Specific goals are shown in Table VII-9.
| Fiscal Year | Goal |
|---|---|
| FY97 | Develop techniques to integrate 100,000 transistors and 1,000 sensing/actuating elements in MEMS devices. Develop an integrated inertial guidance system on a chip. Develop a 12-bit, 100-Msps GaAs HBT A/D converter. Develop a 16-bit, 125-Msps A/D converter in CMOS/SOS. Demonstrate a radiation-hard, single-chip, 16-bit processor on SOI. |
| FY 98 | Develop fabrication technology to produce submicron, radiation-resistant microelectronics withstanding total doses of 1 Mrad(Si), dose rate upsets of 108 rad(Si)/s, and resistant to single-event upset. Develop an ultra low power (<1 mW), 16- to18-bit, 2-100-Ksps ADC for unattended, remotely deployable sonar (shallow-water ASW). Develop a 10-bit, 1-Gsps GaAs HBT A/D converter. Develop a radiation-hard, 32-bit data processor and a 4 M bit radiation hard static memory technology. Demonstrate an InP (-( modulator for a double-down conversion receiver. Fabricate a BiFET transceiver chip set for DRFM/DIFM. |
| FY99 | Develop a 4- to 5-bit, 20-Gsps A/D converter in CMOS/SOS (associated with subnanosecond RF memories for EW). Develop a high-density, radiation-hard, mixed-signal sensor processor. Demonstrate a BiFET transceiver chip set in DRFM/DIFM brassboard. |
| FY00 | Develop a 6- to 10-bit, multi-GHz (2-6 Gsps) A/D converter in CMOS/SOS for OTH radar surveillance. Transfer BiFET IC technology to pilot production. |
| FY01 | Develop highly integrated nanometer-feature-size, MEMS-based microsystems that integrate sensors, processing circuits, and I/O (actuators, displays), produced by affordable, flexible fabrication techniques. Develop deep-submicron, radiation-resistant microelectronics fabrication technology for micro- electronics components. Develop a detailed model of aircraft flight under control of multiple (>10,000) distributed and embedded MEMS sensors, actuators, and processing elements. |
| FY03 | Develop a 16- to 20-bit, 20-Msps-1-Gsps A/D converter for communication, C4I, EO, navigation, antisubmarine warfare, and missiles. |
3.8.2.2 Major Technical Challenges. The warfighter's needs and projected threats are translated into technology goals aimed at removing the bottlenecks and barriers to the affordable collection and processing of information. As the commercial microelectronics market has experienced explosive growth, industry has focused increasingly on large commercial markets and less on critical military characteristics (e.g., radiation hardness, multigigahertz operation, MEMS capability). It is now even more important that DoD surmount the following technical challenges: (1) provide radiation-harden new generations of ICs at an affordable cost that provide the warfighter with survivable state-of-the-art electronic systems, (2) model and simulate mixed analog and digital circuits with greater bandwiths at multigigahertz clock rates, and (3) reduce MEMS fabrication complexity to lower the cost of fabricating MEMS products.
3.8.2.3 Related Federal and Private Sector Efforts. External programs (including support contracts) account for approximately 85% of the current government S&T investment in this subarea. Specific efforts include:
The microelectronics technology subarea applies a range of electronic materials technologies (e.g., Si and its compounds, GaAs, other III-V compounds) to develop advanced devices and circuits that support a number of key DoD applications. These advanced devices and circuits are either not available from industry or require performance superior to those available from industry. The components and subsystems that depend on advanced technologies are critical to communications (e.g., satellites); radar (e.g., digital warning receivers and automatic target recognition devices); ECM and jammers; avionics systems; command and control; intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance; digitized battlefield; ASW, ASSW, and mine detection; and smart munitions. These components and subsystems include:
Microelectronics technology supports all of the Joint Warfighting Capability Objectives. In particular, microelectronics provides critical support to six of the JWCOs: Information Superiority, Precision Force, Joint Theater Missile Defense, Joint Countermine, Electronic Combat, and Chemical/Biological Warfare Defense and Protection. The microelectronics subarea comprises thrusts in four areas: advanced manufacturing, high-performance signal processing components, radiation-resistant electronics, and MEMS.
3.8.3.1 Technology Demonstrations.
None
3.8.3.2 Technology Development.
Analog-to-Digital Converter (DTO SE.57.01). Novel Si and III-V devices are being developed from materials such as SiGe, SiC, TFSOS, GaAs, and GaN. These novel devices will be used to achieve low-power SOI circuits and high-performance circuits and applications (e.g., high temperatures, high-speed data and signal processing, wide bandwidths, high-speed/low-power A/D and D/A converters). In the long term, substantial operations enhancements will eliminate low-frequency conversions, allowing the placement of the A/D converters at the sensor (or antenna) for the immediate processing of the analog signal into a digitized format. System enhancements will be realized in (1) radar for detection in high-clutter environments; (2) deployable sensor systems and SIGINT for unattended, remotely controlled applications; and (3) surveillance (HFDF) EW and ESM for real-time computation of DOA and TOA to changing emitters, channels, and environments requiring high-performance components. Specific efforts include:
This DTO strongly supports three JWCOs: Joint Theater Missile Defense (DTO D.02, Integrated Sensor/Data Fusion Demonstration, and D.03, Discriminating Interceptor Technology Program); Joint Countermine (G.12, Lightweight Airborne Multispectral Countermine Detection System); and Electronic Combat (H.09, Sensor Fusion/Integrated Situation Awareness TD).
High-Density Radiation-Resistant Microelectronics (DTO SE.37.01). Fabrication capabilities are being developed to produce state-of-the-art radiation-resistant microelectronics. Investment is focused on leveraging commercial advances in the fabrication of microelectronics to produce key military components with performance and density close to commercial devices, yet able to withstand the severe radiation environment of space and strategic applications. Specific efforts include:
Microelectromechanical Systems (DTO SE.38.01). Reliable, repeatable, MEMS-specific fabrication techniques are being developed. These techniques will be fed into developing MEMS devices and circuits that integrate sensing, actuation, computation, communication, and control components. Specifically, DARPA (in conjunction with the Army and Air Force) is funding the establishment of a MEMS fabrication infrastructure, physical science work to understand individual MEMS devices, and MEMS applications (e.g., an inertial measurement system). This DTO strongly supports four JWCOs: Information Superiority (DTO A.10, High-Altitude Endurance Unmanned Aerial Vehicle ACTD, and A.14, Tactical Unmanned Aerial Vehicle ACTD); Weapons (WE.12.02, Antijam GPS Flight Test); Precision Force (B.03, Precision SIGINT Targeting Systems ACTD); and Chemical and Biological Defense and Protection (I.03, Airbase/Port Biological Detection ACTD).
3.8.3.3 Basic Research. The DoD basic research (6.1) investment in microelectronics is concerned with developing novel processes, devices, and circuits using innovative materials and physical mechanisms. Over the past 20 years, several large programs have been planned and executed jointly. Most notably, a joint venture on the physics of compound semiconductor interfaces was a highly successful defense-wide approach to setting national goals for surface and interface electronics. This effort continues to broadly impact on infrared detectors essential for operations under realistic battlefield conditions; wide-bandgap semiconductors critical for RF applications and high-power shipboard switching devices; and optical computing devices that provide major weight and size reductions in aircraft signal processors. Another highly successful joint venture was the Ultra Small Electronics Research (USER) program, the precursor for the National Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors developed by the U.S. Semiconductor Industry Association.
