Assessment of the Impacts of Packaging, Long-Term Storage, and Transportation on Military MEMS

摘要

The Army is transforming into a more lethal, lighter and agile force. Enabling technologies that support this transition must decrease in size while increasing in intelligence. MEMS are one technology the DoD will rely on to accomplish these objectives. Conditions for military MEMS utilization are unique. Operational and storage environments are significantly different than those found in the commercial sector. The impact of these environments on the functionality of MEMS has not been assessed. Furthermore, a standardized methodology for conducting these analyses does not exist.rnTo facilitate the insertion of MEMS technologies in weapon systems, the U.S. Army ARDEC is addressing these information gaps. The MEMS user community will benefit from data on failure modes induced by packaging, transportation and storage for selected devices. These data are being used to develop standardized methodologies for MEMS assessments. Activities include:rn1. Assessment of operational environments in which military MEMS device are utilizedrn2. Determining & developing methods to preserve MEMS devices during long-term storagern3. Independent assessment of reliability that cannot be obtained from private industryrn4. Establishment of reliability data that will be fed back into development & design to improve MEMS devicesrn5. Production & design process can be vastly improved to increase yields that will drive costs downrnRecent accomplishments of the program include an assessment of MEMS of interest to DoD, Test Guidelines for Environmental Stress Screening (ESS), Long-Term Storage Test Guidelines, Assessment of the Barriers to Implementation, and other tools and methodologies to facilitate the transition of MEMS to the Department of Defense. The MEMS assessment generated under this program will benefit the MEMS user community by filling the information gap that currently exists for reliability. With the rapid growth of the MEMS industry it is crucial to consider the reliability of this emerging technology and its applications in the early stages of its development.