Development of Electronic Packages with Integrated Environmental Mitigation

This paper demonstrates the techniques to integrate environmental protection into large format ceramic chip carriers using agile manufacturing techniques. Electronics packaging is critical for protecting integrated circuits and MEMS devices from austere environments. Typically, protecting packaged devices and circuit boards adds significant size to an assembly. Incorporating environmental mitigation strategies within the packages can reduce the total system size. In this effort, we developed a multi-faceted strategy to vibration, thermal, RF, and radiation interference with packaged chip. This effort included development of a thermomechanical isolation platform and RF shielding designs compatible with agile manufacturing methods (e.g., additive manufacturing). Shielding design evaluated materials to block external RF or radiation damage. Thermal isolation and vibration stress control was demonstrated using a suspended interposer. Lastly, ceramic demonstrator packages were printed using stereolithography, and were shown to survive high heat environments via heating with a 2000°C torch. Collectively, these results show that it is possible to provide environmental protection to essential chip and sensors within the package itself, reducing the volume needed for integration into flight systems. Furthermore, EngeniusMicro and partners have done so in using methodologies that allow for their production on-demand, both domestically and at the point-of-need.