High Density Electronic Packaging for Venus Mission

Venus presents a significant extreme environment challenge to its exploration. Vehicle, instrument, and system designs in its lander or probe must account for its corrosive, high-pressure (~92bar), and high-temperature (470°C) environment. Despite research efforts in developing extreme environment devices and integrated circuits (ICs), their packaging and assemblies are still less than satisfactory. This project aims to develop State of Arkansas research infrastructure so that the team eventually can tackle the grand technical challenge in developing transformative cost-effective electronic packaging and assemblies capable of surviving the extreme environment in Venus for at least 60 earth days. The research team has significant research and development experience in harsh environment packaging/assemblies in the High Density Electronic Center at the University of Arkansas. The science principal investigator plans to continue to work closely with Dr. Gary Hunter (NASA Glenn Research Center) and Dr. Quang-Viet Nguyen (Planetary Science Division/Science Mission Directorate, NASA Headquarters) in the current HOTTech program. The goal of this effort is to establish high-temperature electronics packaging systems that go beyond the current single-layer, screenprinted gold traces (~200µm width and spacing) on as-fired alumina. To accomplish this, research will involve reducing line width and spacing using different techniques. The specific goals of the proposed 1-year research efforts are to: • Evaluate thin film techniques to create multi-level Ti/Au interconnect separated by silicon dioxide via chemical vapor deposition. Titanium is needed as an adhesion layer for gold. • Leverage existing screen printing tools and screens to reduce line width and spacing beginning with 100µm and attempt an ultimate goal of 20µm. • Analyze experimental data and make specific recommendations for the most feasible and cost effective approach to miniaturizing an interconnecting base that is 1.5X to 2X the size of the bare die to populate it. These tasks aid in the realization and maturity of highly functional yet miniaturized packaging for embedded electronic systems and subsystems used in scientific exploration of Venus, Mercury or Gas Giants (e.g., seismic activity sensor).

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.