DC-Motor Drive Encompassing SiGe Asynchronous Control Electronics for Ultra-Wide (-230 °C to +130 °C) Environments, Phase I

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project seeks to investigate and prove the feasibility of developing ultra-wide temperature (-230^oC to +130^oC) motor drives utilizing Silicon-Germanium (SiGe) asynchronous logic digital control electronics. Asynchronous circuits remove the concept of a global clock by incorporating handshaking protocols to control the circuit. The handshaking protocols allows for flexible timing requirements, high power efficiency, and low noise/emission generation. The flexible timing nature of asynchronous logic makes this type of logic circuit an excellent candidate for extreme temperature control electronics. In addition, the outstanding low-temperature performance of SiGe coupled with its industry standard manufacturing processes makes the SiGe-based asynchronous digital electronics an ideal technology choice for developing digital electronics for space applications. By utilizing the benefits of asynchronous logic in conjunction with the excellent temperature performance of SiGe, future ultra-wide temperature digital control electronics will operate reliably, exceeding the capabilities of today's state-of-the-art Si electronics by several folds. Lastly, The marriage of SiGe-based asynchronous control with power electronics into an ultra-wide temperature range DC-motor drive will prove to be immensely valuable to the NASA program in reducing systems' weight, improving efficiency, reliability, and performance -- all resulting in significant cost savings.

Potential applications for this technology are found on the commercial avionics, medical and defense sectors. The avionics industry is actively pursuing the development of extreme temperature electronics for sensors, radio-frequency power amplifiers and actuators/motor drive application. This technology has the potential of simplifying the design the next generation of crafts and commercial satellites expanding their current capabilities. The medical fields and the defense sectors have particular interest on extreme temperature electronics since it has the potential of impacting several areas such as magnetic resonance imaging, particle accelerators, etc. The first market for this technology will be in the power electronics systems of NASA Lunar and Martian science missions and deep space exploration vehicles, including spacecraft, balloons, rockets, and aircraft. APEI, Inc. plans to develop the technology throughout Phases I, II, and III with this purpose and goal in mind. There are a wide range of NASA applications in which this technology could significantly improve performance and/or reduce launch costs. Ultra-wide temperature electronics will eliminate (or reduce) the need for thermal control reducing size, weight, and power usage.

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.