Hybrid Projectile Components Miniturization

Current electrical and mechanical components for gun-fired munitions and projectiles are heavy, bulky, and not sufficiently resilient to withstand respected G-Force produced when the projectile is fired. Minimizing the environmental impact and keeping such munitions and projectiles out of enemy hands is another concern to the US Army. In this SBIR program Custom Electronics, Inc. (CEI) proposes to explore the integration of silicon IC dies onto a biodegradable polymer substrate in order to realize high performance flexible electronics that will have a form factor (light weight, flexible, small volume) suitable to meet the specifications of the proposed program, as well as being environmentally friendly. This would be accomplished by analyzing the required electronic components of a 40mm guided projectile and develop a design where at least part of these components will be integrated onto a flexible biodegradable substrate, developing candidate polymer materials and then develop strategies for integrating the silicon IC dies onto the final flexible printed circuit board formed by the biodegradable polymer. A technical plan for developing the final prototype system is found in this initiative.