Microsemi Corporation (Nasdaq: MSCC), a leading provider of semiconductor solutions differentiated by power, security, reliability and performance, today announced a new collaboration with Moog Controls Limited, a division of Moog Inc. (NYSE: MOG.A and MOG.B); University of Bristol and Southampton University based in the U.K. The collaboration, named NEMICA, is partially funded by the U.K. government through its technology agency’s “Innovate UK” program and aims to address the challenges associated with high temperature electronics design by leveraging each organization’s unique expertise in this area.
“We are pleased to be part of this top-tier collaboration as our collective group looks to develop industry-leading reprogrammable memories and gate arrays based on nanoelectromechanical (NEM) technology that are capable of withstanding long-term exposure to high temperatures and harsh environmental conditions,” said Jim Aralis, chief technology officer and vice president of advanced development at Microsemi.
System designers face considerable challenges when designing control systems operating in high temperature environments. To achieve ideal performance levels in terms of system efficiency and safety, engineers must relocate the controller closer to the points of monitoring and output. In most systems this is easily achieved because the environment is ambient and harmonized. However, in applications where the sensor and the actuator are in a high temperature location (200 degrees Celsius and above), it is not always possible to place conventional electronic control systems near the sensor and actuator.
To overcome this problem, system engineers must place the controller in a cooler region. This normally entails designing new high temperature connections systems, interfaces, signal conditioning and protection to maintain the integrity of the data being collected and of the electronic instruction back to the actuator. The alternative is to provide cooling systems which otherwise do not add any value to the system. All of this adds cost, weight and delays in the system response.
“Through our collaborative efforts, we will aim to move the electronics closer to the point of measurement and control, overcoming these historical challenges and enabling new capabilities and applications,” said Siobhan Dolan Clancy, vice president and general manager of Microsemi’s Discrete Products Group. “We look forward to developing new solutions with our fellow experts in the coming months, as these technological advancements will be well-suited to a variety of applications including avionic actuator systems as well others in space, transportation and down-hole drilling.”
NEMICA is a 1 million pounds three year project designed for the development of high temperature control systems that could be used in next generation aircraft. The project addresses the challenges in two phases, initially allowing the existing designs to work at elevated temperatures of 175 degrees Celsius and then at 225 degrees Celsius through the design of novel field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs) using NEM technology developed by University of Bristol and Southampton University.
Microsemi Giving Wings to Innovation in Aerospace Electronics
Microsemi offers an industry-leading range of high reliability products and solutions for flight critical avionics and power conversion applications addressing the evolving needs of the aviation industry. Microsemi provides best-in-class field programmable gate array (FPGA) and system-on-chip (SoC) technology for low power and SEU immunity, broadest range of transient voltage suppression (TVS) solutions for lightning protection, high performance power discrete technology such as silicon carbide (SiC) MOSFETs, diodes and their ruggedized power modules, a comprehensive analog and mixed-signal integrated circuit (IC) capability including high temperature SiC transistor drivers and sensor interface ICs, Ethernet and networking technologies, radio frequency (RF) diodes, power transistors, MMICs, modules and subsystems, and advanced packaging services including high temperature (HT) Polymer packaging technology. Microsemi continues to expand its leadership through product innovation and is building a solution capability by leveraging its broad portfolio of products to develop a new portfolio of intelligent power solutions in its Aviation Centre of Excellence, which serves as a full technical provider from design to manufacturing. For more information on Microsemi’s aviation products and technologies, visit http://www.microsemi.com/applications/commercial-aviation.
About Microsemi
Microsemi Corporation (Nasdaq: MSCC) offers a comprehensive portfolio of semiconductor and system solutions for aerospace & defense, communications, data center and industrial markets. Products include high-performance and radiation-hardened analog mixed-signal integrated circuits, FPGAs, SoCs and ASICs; power management products; timing and synchronization devices and precise time solutions, setting the world’s standard for time; voice processing devices; RF solutions; discrete components; enterprise storage and communication solutions, security technologies and scalable anti-tamper products; Ethernet solutions; Power-over-Ethernet ICs and midspans; as well as custom design capabilities and services. Microsemi is headquartered in Aliso Viejo, California and has approximately 4,800 employees globally. Learn more at www.microsemi.com.
About Moog Controls Limited
Moog Controls Limited is a British registered company and wholly owned subsidiary of Moog Inc. Moog is a worldwide designer, manufacturer, and integrator of precision control components and systems. Moog’s high-performance systems control military and commercial aircraft, satellites and space vehicles, launch vehicles, missiles, automated industrial machinery, wind energy, marine and medical equipment. Additional information about the company can be found at www.moog.com. Additional information about Moog’s Space Sector can be found at www.moog.com/space.
About Bristol University
University of Bristol engages in research and teaching in fundamental and applied sciences organized within six faculties. Approximately 14,000 undergraduate and 5000 postgraduate students study at the University. The Microelectronics Group in the Faculty of Engineering carries out research in diverse topics related to the design of next generation processors and electronic systems, including disruptive technologies, FPGA and many-core architectures and high-performance computing. Within the group, Dr. Dinesh Pamunuwa heads research activity related to NEM relay-based circuits and systems, for applications requiring ultra-low energy consumption and harsh-environment operation.
About Southampton University
University of Southampton has invested in a new £120M cleanroom complex for conducting research in advanced nanoelectronic and photonic device technology. The total cleanroom complex size is 2000 m2, which makes it the largest multidisciplinary academic research cleanroom laboratory in the UK. Part of the cleanroom complex is the state-of-the-art Southampton Nanofabrication Centre (SNC) equipped with more than £60M worth of sophisticated nanofabrication and characterisation capabilities of nanoelectronic device technology, silicon and related semiconductor materials processing. The SNC cleanroom has dedicated laboratory areas where ultra-high resolution electron beam lithography, photolithography, high temperature treatment and plasma etching and material deposition processing are performed under Class 10, 100 and 1000 environments. Current research activities are; (i) novel semiconductors and semi-metals; (ii) quantum information device technology
; (iii) monolayer electronics, (iv) beyond and non-CMOS devices, (v) healthcare and bio-devices, (vi) high efficient photovoltaics, (vii) silicon photonics and (viii) integrated smart sensing systems.
