INTEGRATED CIRCUIT DEVICE PACKAGING PROTECTION AGAINST HIGH POWER MICROWAVE DIRECTED ENERGY WEAPONS

HIGH POWER MICROWAVE (HPM) DIRECTED ENERGY WEAPONS POSE A THREAT TO SYSTEMS WHICH EMPLOY ADVANCED INTEGRATED CIRCUITS (VLSI/VHSIC). THESE CIRCUITS, WHICH USE SMALL GEOMETRY DEVICES, ARE SUSCEPTIBLE TO UPSET AND DAMAGE DUE TO THE LARGE CURRENTS AND VOLTAGES WHICH COUPLE TO THE PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARDS FROM HPM SOURCES. ELECTROSTATIC DISCHARGE PROTECTION IS INADEQUATE FOR THE REPETITIVE PULSE NATURE OF THE HPM THREAT, AND EXISTING TERMINAL PROTECTION DEVICES ARE TOO BULKY TO BE INCORPORATED INTO THE IC PACKAGES. THIS PROPOSAL ADDRESSES THE PROBLEM OF HARDENING THE PACKAGES THROUGH USE OF MICROWAVE FILTERING WITH FERRITE MATERIALS AND MICROWAVE TRANSMISSION LINES, AS WELL AS THE USE OF METALIZED DIELECTRIC COATINGS. THE APPROACH IS TO COMBINE MULTIPLE APPROACHES FOR HARDENING TO ACHIEVE INCRESED ATTENUATION AND PROTECT AGAINST A BROADER HAND OF FREQUENCIES. THREE DIMENAIONAL FINITE DIFFERENCE MODELING OF THE PRINTED CIRCUIT BOARDS AND IC PACKAGE WILL BE USED TO DETERMINE THREAT LEVELS AT THE CHIP INPUTS AND TO DETERMINE THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THE PROTECTION MEASURES.