3.10 Electronics Integration Technology

3.10.1 Warfighter Needs

Many of the Joint Warfighting S&T areas require significant advancements in affordable electronics technology, a major challenge given the relatively small volume of specialized military parts normally needed compared to commercial production volumes. Miniaturized, power-efficient, reliable, high-performance circuitry is particularly needed for dominant battlespace knowledge, precision force, joint theater ballistic missile defense, and electronic warfare. Today, the cost, performance, size, weight, power consumption, testability, reliability and maintainability parameters of military systems all must be dealt with on an integrated basis.

3.10.2 Electronics Integration Technology Overview

The Electronics Integration Technology thrust is critical to all electronic equipment, affecting the performance, reliability, affordability and power generation, conditioning and distribution for virtually every type of system, both military and commercial. The thrust includes: (a) advanced design, test and quality assurance tools, methods, practices, standards and integrating environment aimed at enabling comprehensive synthesis and design from the individual transistor to assembled multiboard systems; (b) packaging, interconnect technologies and the supplier and manufacturing infrastructure which will preserve device performance throughout an electronic system while increasing reliability and reducing size, weight, volume and cost and; (c) advanced batteries, fuel cells, capacitors, Power Electronic Building Blocks (PEBBs), solar power converters, generators, and power management systems for manportable C4I, Soldier Systems, land/air/underwater vehicle propulsion, tactical power systems, electric weapons and vehicles, emergency power, silent power generation, and smart munitions.

3.10.2.1 Goals and Timeframes. The DoD efforts in this area particularly address the long-term thrusts for maintaining the "technology edge"; reducing the size, weight and power; and improving the testability, affordability and quality of electronics. Major goals include:

The impact of the thrusts in this area are pervasive through many of the technologies described in the DTAPs.

3.10.2.2 Major Technical Challenges. 100x-1000x faster and affordable "Virtual Prototyping" of electronic subsystems must be achieved, based on VHSIC Hardware Description Language (VHDL) reusable and interoperable model libraries and the development of analog, mixed-signal, and Microwave Hardware Description Language (MHDL) language capabilities. Low-cost environmental monitors, failure analysis/prediction tools and techniques, built-in-self-test (BIST) techniques, and diagnostic evaluators are also key challenges. The next-generation of Multi-chip module (MCM) technologies must be developed for high speed, mixed-signal circuits to achieve data/signal processor miniaturization for the individual warfighter, satellites, autonomous vehicles, smart munitions and ATR processors. Rechargeable lithium-ion cell chemistries with energy densities greater than 100 Wh/kg may be alternatives for C4I training, tank starting and silent watch. Efficient electrode catalysts in fuel cells are key to 400 Wh/kg man-portable fuel cells for Soldier System microclimate cooling. New types of power electronic building blocks are essential to achieving a 10x improvement in vehicular power system affordability and performance.

3.10.2.3 Related Federal and Private Sector Efforts. Related design efforts include tool and computing environment standardization activities under the purview of the CAD Framework Initiative, a consortium of many of the key players in the Electronic Design Automation (EDA) and the Semiconductor Industry Association (SIA) communities. Related electronic module/subsystem and packaging efforts include MCM development at Sandia National Lab and consortium effort at the Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation, the Microelectronics Center of North Carolina, and the Semiconductor Research Corporation (SRC).

3.10.3 S&T Investment Strategy

The EIT Subarea is directed at the exploitation of modern electronics to provide a competitive battlefield edge. The technology efforts, developments and demonstrations are designed using a strategy that capitalizes on US industrial capabilities, with the overall objective of meeting present and future military system and subsystem cost and performance objectives. Because of the long life-cycle of military systems and reduced DoD budgets, EIT is concerned with both new and fielded systems.

3.10.3.1 Technology Demonstrations

3.10.3.1.1 Integrated Design Environment Technology. DTO SE.28.01.FE. A complex arithmetic unit for the UYS-2A Navy Standard Signal Processor, to be used in the Airborne Low Frequency Sonar (ALFS) helicopter is being developed. There are two "Model Year" demonstrations-one being a virtual prototype and the other, a hardware prototype. The RASSP design environments being used facilitates low-cost system upgrades and improved reliability, producibility, and supportability for embedded digital signal processors.

3.10.3.1.2 Electronic Module Packaging and Interconnect Technology. DTO SE.29.01.FE. This demonstration is aimed at reduction in packaging design and fabrication time and cost of application specific electronic modules. Under the Application Specific Electronics Modules (ASEM) Program, MCM technology efforts have been aimed at developing advanced MCM technologies to meet future DoD requirements not satisfied by current commercial printed circuit and hybrid circuit manufacturers; reducing nonrecurring engineering (NRE) cost and cycle time to $25K and one month, respectively, with first-pass success on designs; reducing the total recurring module costs for current technologies by an order of magnitude and providing DoD access to robust manufacturing capabilities.

3.10.3.1.3 Energy Storage and Distribution Technology. DTO SE.30.01.NFE. This effort is aimed at lightening the soldier's burden, increasing energy density and improving distribution efficiencies. This includes demonstration of superior, low-cost primary and rechargeable batteries and other silent portable power sources, as well as logistically acceptable sources of mobile tactical power such as generators, fuel cells, solar power converters and other advanced energy conversion devices. It will also demonstrate electronic power modules with 10x the power density of present devices at 1/10th the cost for vehicles/weapons.

3.10.3.2 Technology Development. The technology efforts within the EIT Subarea are viewed as critical to the affordability and performance of all new and currently fielded electronic equipment. These efforts are concerned with breakthroughs in CAE methods and tools, quality assurance technology (including best-practice technology and processes, advanced electronic technologies, built-in-self-test (BIST), failure analysis/prediction tools and techniques and diagnostic evaluators); advanced MCM technology (including scaleable MCM foundries, known good die, CAD tools, test standards and procedures, mixed signal MCMs, testability, substrates, 3-D and optical interconnects, and prototyping); power storage and generation technology (including primary and rechargeable batteries, fuel cells, electrochemical capacitors, solar power converters, power devices, programmable building blocks, and HTS components); and distributed power technology (including high-efficiency power converters).

3.10.3.3 Basic Research. Computer aided engineering oriented research within the university community includes research ranging from individual "niche" tool development to unified environments for end-to-end electronic system development. Much research is currently being conducted in Digital Signal Processor (DSP) design systems, algorithms, architectures, and software systems. CAE tools for Low Power Electronic systems are in research and development. Research is also being conducted to provide very-high-energy density portable power sources. Technologies being researched include: Zinc-Air batteries and advanced hydrogen based fuel cell architectures using polymer-exchange membrane systems, and new hydrogen storage mechanisms.