Award Data

It is proposed that using additive manufacturing to fabricate a lightweight optic would result in a weight reduction of the optical system, since 3D-printing provides superior flexibility in the geometric design of the lightweight optic. In addition, the conventional approach to lightweight an optic requires machining of mechanically-hard optical substrates such as SiC, which is time-intensive an ...

The ISSAC Team propose a novel method to encapsulate legacy models and simulations that allows these components to take advantage of modern, multi-core, multi-processor hardware suites. Encapsulating these legacy codes provides 3 primary advantages to deal with complex systems and systems of systems (Air Force, Navy, Department of Homeland Security (DHS), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) ...

Mainstream Engineering Corporation is developing a prognostic health monitoring system for missile electronics. Called the Weapon Inspection, Sustainment, and Recorder Device (WISARD), this stamp-sized health monitoring system operates on 3.6 mW of power and measures temperature, vibration, and humidity to estimate the remaining life of an electronics assembly. In Phase I, we developed the failure ...

The proposed project will develop three actively configurable metamaterial of relevance to both i) MDA’s high-priority and near-term need for stray light testing and diagnosis and ii) the interceptor functions of THAAD, Ascent Phase Interceptors, MKV and Space Systems. Phoebus’s configurable metamaterials aperture arrays will consist of single-layer metallic thin films patterned with light-cha ...

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) seeks technical investigations related to the development and application of advanced electronic materials, processes, and devices to meet its need for radiation hardened, high performance electronics for critical space and missile applications. With the advent of smaller transistor dimensions and reductions in price per bit, significant changes in materials and pr ...

Gallium Nitride (GaN) substrates are ideal materials for fabrication of high-power and high-frequency devices based on III-V materials. The current state-of-the-art Chemical Mechanical Polishing (CMP) methods are plagued by several challenges, including, surface charge affects due to surface contamination, and sub-surface damages, which can limit the quality of III-V devices. Furthermore, there is ...

The primary objective of the proposed research is to develop proof of concept of a software programmable X-Band radar system using low cost antenna array technology with digital beamforming architecture based on multiple receiver channels. The performance objectives will aim at a minimum of 400 MHz instantaneous bandwidth and a minimum instantaneous dynamic range of 52 dB. The objective of the t ...

IAI with University of Michigan proposes an innovative HIC software modeling and integration framework built around objectively quantified cognitive models of human operators i) Executive-Process/Interactive Control (EPIC) and ii) GOMS (Goal Operator Method and Selection rules) Language Evaluation and Analysis (GLEAN). The framework provides ability to model existing or futuristic operator workst ...

There is an urgent need to develop and demonstrate innovative control, design and analysis techniques to characterize the stability and performance of a system of systems (SoS) as a function of sub-system dynamics, network structure and control/decision processes. This is particularly true in the missile defense scenario, which involves a coordinated defense against threats. However, there is no e ...

Gold contamination in Circuit Card Assembly (CCA) solder joints leads to brittle intermetallic compounds (IMCs), which is one of the major factors in solder joint failure. The conventional rule of thumb considers 3 wt% of gold (Au) as a safety threshold, which is not always reliable due to varieties of package platforms, solder types, reflux settings, operational and environmental conditions, etc. ...