Address
Defense Microelectronics Activity
4234 54th Street
McClellan, CA 95652-2100
United StatesLaboratory Representative
(P)
(916) 231-1505
Description
The Defense Microelectronics Activity (DMEA) is a Department of Defense Laboratory located in Sacramento, California, which reports to the Assistant Secretary of Defense for Research and Engineering. DMEA is composed of specialized microelectronics engineers and support staff working in close partnership with the major defense contractors and the semiconductor industry to rapidly develop advanced technology applications for the warfighter. DMEA's microelectronics specialists produce solutions that support critical active military operations. DMEA's research activities advance microelectronics technologies to support current and future warfighter needs. DMEA's advanced laboratory facilities and unique flexible semiconductor foundry enable DMEA's professional team to provide trusted high mix, low volume microelectronic solutions.
Tech Areas
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3
Gamma Irradiation Testing Facility
Security Clearance : Non Security LabSquare Footage: 0
DMEA has a unique total dose testing laboratory accredited by the American Association for Laboratory Accreditation (A2LA). The lab's two J.L. Shepherd model 81-22/484 self-shielded irradiators are used to determine the effects of gamma radiation on microelectronics and photonics components and systems. Both irradiators have dedicated data acquisition computers, optics tables, and measurement equipment for performing a wide variety of influx or step-stressed experiments. Testing is performed in compliance with ASTM F1892 and E1614, MIL-STD-883 Test Method 1019, MIL-STD-750 Test Method 1019, IEEE 1156.4, and EIA/TIA FOTP-64. DMEA provides irradiation test services to the Department of Defense, other government agencies, research laboratories, universities, and industry. DMEA's gamma irradiation facility is unique: Largest exposure tunnels of any self-contained gamma irradiator in the world High stability, large volume synergistic effects testing capability Vast array of on-site microelectronic and photonic testing capabilities ±5% NIST-traceable dosimetry . A2LA-accredited against ISO/IEC 17025 Dose Rates DMEA's high dose irradiator is one-of-a-kind. Dose rates are available upon request. The low dose irradiator provides dose rates compatible with Extended Low Dose Rate Sensitivity (ELDRS) levels. Specific dose rates can be provided upon request. Exposure Tunnels: Both high dose and low dose irradiators have unique 484 exposure tunnels measuring 41 cm (16 inches) W by 41 cm (16 inches) H by 102 cm (40 inches) D. These tunnels are the largest 484 tunnels in the world. They can accommodate unusually large test articles as well as DMEA's Dewar Temperature Systems. Synergistic Effects Testing Capabilities: DMEA's irradiation test facility has two Dewar Temperature System chambers, DTS I and DTS II, which can be placed within the high dose irradiator to perform synergistic testing with the combined environments of radiation and temperature, humidity, and/or vacuum. These high-stability environmental chambers contain a cylinder [21 cm (8.3-inch) inner diameter, 28 cm (11-inch) deep] for placing the test article; it is by far the largest available in the U.S. for use within self-contained irradiators. The chambers are fitted with feed-through ports that allow test articles to be externally powered and/or monitored during testing. Microelectronic and Photonic Testing Capabilities: The irradiation facility provides an ideal environment for testing microelectronic parts and boards. It was also designed to accommodate the unique requirements of photonic component testing. Both J.L. Shepherd model 81-22/484 self-shielded irradiators have dedicated data acquisition computers and optics tables for performing a wide variety of in-flux or step-stressed experiments. Testing can be remotely monitored and controlled from an adjacent area via video cameras and remotely operated data acquisition computers. A dedicated air conditioning system maintains the irradiator room at very stable (± 1 °C) temperature and humidity levels, allowing the most temperature-sensitive test equipment to be used for in-situ testing. An uninterruptable power supply keeps both the irradiators and test equipment operating during power failures. The facility provides ESD protection for sensitive test articles. Dosimetry: Customized ion chamber detectors are used to provide extremely accurate (±5 percent) NIST traceable dosimetry over the entire range of dose rates attainable with the high and low dose irradiators. A screw-driven automatic cart drives test articles to the desired distance from the sources, providing highly accurate and repeatable test article positioning. ASTM-compliant dose enhancement chambers are used for ambient condition tests to filter out lower energy gammas. The DTS chambers were also designed to provide comparable spectral filtering.
Integrated Circuit Testing Facility
Security Clearance : Non Security LabSquare Footage: 0
The Integrated Circuit Testing Facility is a state-of-the-art laboratory fully equipped to provide the full spectrum of equipment for rapid prototype development, testing and characterization. For troubleshooting and debugging, we have laser device isolation capability, scanning electron and field emission microscopes, and a focused ion beam milling machine. Reverse Engineering: Available documentation related to the original device is thoroughly reviewed. If no documentation for an integrated circuit exists, we take it apart to learn enough about it so that we can reproduce it. Characterization: The integrated circuit is tested electronically to identify its operational characteristics and these are compared with the existing (or derived) documentation for the device. When the device simulation models and the electrical test parameters match, characterization is complete and a design based on a new process can go to fabrication. Design and Validation: Modern computer-aided design (CAD) tools are used to design a replacement device. All newly designed integrated circuits are tested on automatic test equipment (ATE). DMEA can qualify devices to their original design specification. DMEA has the capability to test: Wafers up to 8 inch diameter over full military temperature range Single die Radio frequency (RF) to V-band, including noise parameters, power spectral density, and S-parameters Digital devices up to 500 MHz clock rates Mixed-signal devices Parametric testing Wafer Level Reliability testing Process validation using Silvaco tool suite
The Flexible Foundry: Advanced Reconfigurable Manufacturing for Semiconductors
Security Clearance : Non Security LabSquare Footage: 0
Sometimes it is not a device that is obsolete, but an idea. In logistics terms, the problem is not that the device becomes obsolete; the problem is that the device becomes unprocurable. Microelectronics obsolescence is largely the result of commercial pressures: when it is no longer economical to produce a certain product, the manufacturer stops producing it.Depending on a single commercial source is dangerous. Committing to a single technology is an invitation to disaster. The mission of the Department of Defense is too critical to be subject to shifting commercial demand, but DOD must be responsive to the realities of the marketplace. The Only Real Solution A call to ARMS - The Flexible Foundry The only real solution to microelectronics obsolescence is having the capability to produce on demand form, fit, and functionally equivalent integrated circuits. Until now, this has been a distant goal. It has been realized through the Advanced Reconfigurable Manufacturing for Semiconductors (ARMS) facility. The ARMS facility is a true flexible foundry, conceived and designed by the Defense Microelectronics Activity to produce any quantity, small or large, of microelectronic devices. ARMS can be “flexed” on demand to handle multiple devices on not just one, but multiple manufacturing processes. This results in “just enough, just in time” supportability. The ARMS tool set has been configured in one location to support the largest number of manufacturing processes, process steps, and devices. The supported devices can be analog, digital, mixed signal, and memory or radio frequency. The foundry is the product of government and industry partnerships to transfer commercial technology to DMEA. A key part of this cooperation is an aggressive policy of licensing intellectual property from multiple semiconductor manufacturers like IMP, Raytheon, Peregrine, and Intersil. By merging technology processes with device specifications, replacement components can be generated long into the future. DMEA stores the instructions for producing a component instead of the components themselves. By partnering with commercial foundries to flex from one semiconductor technology to another, DMEA has created a new paradigm of storing processes, not parts. At last, we are beyond a mitigation strategy. No longer is it necessary to try to keep up with the escalating pace of obsolescence. This creates a new definition for commercial off-the-shelf technology - technology that is permanently supportable on demand, even though it is not available from the original commercial provider. Managers of weapons systems can use ARMS as a single solution or as part of a comprehensive supportability solution. A program manager can replace single devices or, if there are a large number of components approaching obsolescence, use these replacements as a temporary measure while redesigning and fabricating an entirely new system or subsystem. Either way, the system stays operational.
