U.S. Army Corrosion Office's Storage and Quality Requirements for Military MEMS program

摘要

As the Army transforms into a more lethal, lighter and agile force, the technologies that support these systems must decrease in size while increasing in intelligence. Micro-electromechanical systems (MEMS) are one such technology that the Army and DOD will rely on heavily to accomplish these objectives. Conditions for utilization of MEMS by the military are unique. Operational and storage environments for the military are significantly different than those found in the commercial sector. Issues unique to the military include; high G-forces during gun launch, extreme temperature and humidity ranges, extended periods of inactivity (20 years plus) and interaction with explosives and propellants. The military operational environments in which MEMS will be stored or required to function are extreme and far surpass any commercial operating conditions. Security and encryption are a must for all MEMS communication, tracking, or data reporting devices employed by the military. Current and future military applications of MEMS devices include safety and arming devices, fuzing devices, various guidance systems, sensors/detectors, inertial measurement units, tracking devices, radio frequency devices, wireless Radio Frequency Identifications (RFIDs) and network systems, GPS's, radar systems, mobile base systems and information technology. MEMS embedded into these weapons systems will provide the military with new levels of speed, awareness, lethality, and information dissemination. The system capabilities enhanced by MEMS will translate directly into tactical and strategic military advantages. While reliance on MEMS devices has been increasing, limited studies have been performed to assess their reliability and identify failure mechanisms. Accordingly, the US Army Corrosion Office at Picatinny, NJ has initiated the "Storage & Quality Requirements for Military MEMS" as part of their MEMS Reliability Assessment Program to address these issues. The goals of the MEMS Reliability Assessment Program are to: 1) establish the reliability of MEMS devices including the impact of transportation, long term storage, operating environment, packaging & interconnection issues, 2) analyze the compatibility of MEMS devices with energetic and other hazardous materials found in military items, 3) identify failure mechanisms and failure rates, 4) develop accelerated test protocols for assessing the reliability of MEMS, 5) develop reliability models for these devices, 6) identify a standardizing body, standard terminology, definitions, and categories for MEMS devices and 7) determine potential test methodologies for assessing these mechanisms. Current ongoing efforts in support of the program include: 1) an assessment of the long-term storage performance and standards requirements, 2) initiation of ESS testing for the identification of failure mechanisms of selected devices, 3) drafting of a joint test protocol for assessment of the corrosion potential of MEMS devices, 4) assessment of applicability of reliability software packages for use with MEMS devices and 5) development of test guidelines for the assessment of MEMS reliability. This program will benefit the MEMS user community by filling the information gap that currently exists for reliability, including: 1 Assessment of the operational environments in which the military MEMS device may be utilized 2 Determining & developing methods to preserve MEMS devices during long term storage before they are designed into products 3 Independent assessment of reliability that cannot be obtained from private industry 4 Establishment of reliability data that will be fed back into development & design to improve MEMS devices 5 Production & design process can be vastly improved increasing yields that will drive costs down.