Space Qualifiable, Corrosion Resistant, Near Hermetic Plastic Package

Foster Miller proposes to develop a corrosion-proof, near-hermetic plastic packaging technology by combining two breakthrough technologies developed at Foster-Miller. Foster-Miller has developed a sol-gel based coating technology which protects aluminum from corroding in a salt-spray chamber even after 300 hr. This coating can be applied at room temperature followed by a thermal treatment at 100¿C. Foster-Miller has also developed a near-hermetic electronic packaging technology using highly impermeable liquid crystalline polymers which prevents moisture ingression into the package. By combining these two technologies, it can be virtually guaranteed that plastic packages can be made as reliable as ceramic packages. In Phase I, Foster-Miller will show the feasibility of this technology by packaging test ICs and subjecting them to reliability tests. In Phase II, we will integrate shielding materials and techniques to protect from vibration and shock to meet space qualification requirements. Foster-Miller has teamed with the Honeywell Solid State Electronics Center, the leading producer of space qualified, rad-hard ICs and processors, to develop and commercialize this innovative technology.| Benefits: This technology will provide a lightweight, low-cost, highly reliable technology to package space electronics for applications such as the advanced spaceborne computer module. It will also find pervasive use in the commercial electronics since it provides the reliability of ceramic packages at the cost of plastic packages.|