Highly Uniform Gold Coatings for Electronics Reliability and Protection from Space Environments

Vital defense elements that comprise the Ballistic Missile Defense System require a domestic manufacturing base that can ensure standardized coating of electronic components with complex three-dimensional geometries. In particular, electronic enclosures need uniform, thick, dense coatings of high-Z materials (gold, tungsten, and tantalum) to provide radiation protection in space environments. However, the domestic gold electroplating industry is limited to small or two-dimensional substrates, and lacks the capability to uniformly electroplate high-Z coatings onto electronic enclosures. Industrial capabilities for tungsten and tantalum coatings are also extremely limited. The proposed innovation is a science-driven, scalable manufacturing apparatus combined with engineered electric fields to control pretreatment and electroplating processes, to apply uniform, thick, dense and adherent high-Z coatings to electronic enclosures for radiation protection. Highly dense, high-Z deposits may allow for thinner coatings, which would translate into weight and cost savings, which is important for space applications. Phase II will model, design and build an alpha-scale apparatus for pretreatment and electroplating of high-Z materials onto exemplar electronic enclosures, demonstrate coating uniformity, thickness, and density that provides protection under relevant environmental exposures, identify the manufacturing supply chain, establish production volume needs, and develop a cost model. Approved for Public Release | 23-MDA-11635 (9 Nov 23)