You are here

High-Vacuum Package for MEMS Inertial Sensors

Award Information
Agency: Department of Defense
Branch: Navy
Contract: N00014-12-M-0354
Agency Tracking Number: N12A-008-0087
Amount: $79,953.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: STTR
Solicitation Topic Code: N12A-T008
Solicitation Number: 2012.A
Timeline
Solicitation Year: 2012
Award Year: 2012
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): 2012-06-25
Award End Date (Contract End Date): N/A
Small Business Information
P.O. Box 71
Hanover, NH -
United States
DUNS: 072021041
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Michael Jaeger
 Principal Investigator
 (603) 643-3800
 mdj@creare.com
Business Contact
 James Barry
Title: President
Phone: (603) 643-3800
Email: contractsmgr@creare.com
Research Institution
 NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory
 Helen Tanabe
 
4800 Oak Grove Drive
Passadena, CA 91109-8099
United States

 (818) 354-8954
 Federally Funded R&D Center (FFRDC)
Abstract

High-sensitivity resonant vibratory microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) sensors are typically vacuum packaged in discreet packages. Wafer-scale vacuum packaging offers size, weight, and cost advantages, and the packages are more shock and vibration tolerant. However, the high internal pressures and leak rates achieved to date through wafer-scale vacuum packaging have rendered this an approach suitable for only the lowest performance devices. For this project, Creare Inc. and the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) have teamed to develop an advanced wafer-level packaging approach that offers the extremely low, sustained vacuum levels required for long-term, high-Q operation of navigation grade MEMS inertial sensors. The packaging approach also addresses susceptibility to temperature changes, mechanical vibration, and shock. The basic principles for producing and maintaining extreme vacuum levels, on which this packaging approach is based, have already been demonstrated by JPL in a sealed sensor package. In Phase I, the team will further show the feasibility of the approach at wafer scale by designing a generic sensor package and modeling its performance. In Phase II, the team will demonstrate the package performance using packaged vacuum sensors and an extremely sensitive MEMS gyroscope being developed for military firing control systems.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

US Flag An Official Website of the United States Government