Search NASA⌕ Search

SEARCH · Search NASA

Results for “electronics packaging”

Search indexed NASA NTRS and DOE OSTI research on propulsion, heat transfer, battery materials and energy systems. Follow report and document links to the original sources.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 559 records · Page 31
All sourcesNASA NTRSDOE OSTI
NASA NTRS1986

Whistler-mode radiation from the Spacelab 2 electron beam

During the Spacelab 2 mission the Plasma Diagnostics Package (PDP) performed a fly-around of the Shuttle at distances of up to 300 meters while an electron beam was being ejected from the Shuttle. A magnetic conjunction of the Shuttle and the PDP while the electron gun was operating in a steady (DC) mode is discussed. During this conjunction, the PDP detected a clear funnel-shaped emission that is believed to be caused by whistler-mode emission from the beam. Ray-path calculations show that the shape of the funnel can be accounted for by whistler-mode waves propagating near the resonance cone. Because the beam and waves are propagating in the same direction, the radiation must be produced by a Landau interaction with the beam. Other types of waves generated by the beam are also described.

Gurnett, D. A.↗
NASA NTRS2008

Ultra-Thin, Flexible Electronics

Thinned die can be used to realize ultra-thin flexible electronics for applications such as conformal and wearable electronics. Three techniques have been developed to achieve this goal using thinned die: die flip chip bonded onto flexible substrates, die laminated onto LCP films, and die embedded in polyimide. A key to achieving each of these techniques is the thinning of die to a thickness of 50 microns or thinner. Conventional CMP processing can be used to thin to 50 microns. At 50 microns, the active die become flexible and must be handled by temporarily bonding them to a holder die, for further processing. Once bonded face down to the holder die, the active die can be further thinned by DRIE etching the exposed backside. The thinned die can then been packaged in or on the flexible substrate.

electronics packaging↗
NASA NTRS2010

Compact Ku-Band T/R Module for High-Resolution Radar Imaging of Cold Land Processes

Global measurement of terrestrial snow cover is critical to two of the NASA Earth Science focus areas: (1) climate variability and change and (2) water and energy cycle. For radar backscatter measurements, Ku-band frequencies, scattered mainly within the volume of the snowpack, are most suitable for the SWE (snow-water equivalent) measurements. To isolate the complex effects of different snowpack (density and snowgrain size), and underlying soil properties and to distinctly determine SWE, the space-based synthetic aperture radar (SAR) system will require a dual-frequency (13.4 and 17.2 GHz) and dual polarization approach. A transmit/receive (T/R) module was developed operating at Ku-band frequencies to enable the use of active electronic scanning phased-array antenna for wide-swath, high-resolution SAR imaging of terrestrial snow cover. The T/R module has an integrated calibrator, which compensates for all environmental- and time-related changes, and results in very stable power and amplitude characteristics. The module was designed to operate over the full frequency range of 13 to 18 GHz, although only the two frequencies, 13.4 GHz and 17.2 GHz, will be used in this SAR radar application. Each channel of the transmit module produces > 4 W (35 dbm) over the operating bandwidth of 20 MHz. The stability requirements of <0.1 dB receive gain accuracy and <0.1 dB transmit power accuracy over a wide temperature range are achieved using a self-correction scheme, which does real-time amplitude calibration so that the module characteristics are continually corrected. All the calibration circuits are within the T/R module. The timing and calibration sequence is stored in a control FPGA (field-programmable gate array) while an internal 128K 8bit high-speed RAM (random access memory) stores all the calibration values. The module was designed using advanced components and packaging techniques to achieve integration of the electronics in a 2 x6.5x1-in. (5x17x2.5-cm) package. The module size allows 4 T/R modules to feed the 16 16-element subarray on an antenna panel. The T/R module contains four transmit channels and eight receive channels (horizontal and vertical polarizations).

Andricos, Constantine↗
DOE OSTI2024

High Precision, High Frequency Printed Antennas

An emerging trend in advanced manufacturing is printed electronics and sensors. The ability to print customized electronics and sensors integrated into functional packages is a growing need within a variety of growing markets such as smart manufacturing, internet of things (IoT), and the small satellite industry. Both Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) and the MITRE Corporation have seedling research efforts evaluating the potential for future printed electronic systems. High frequency, wide-bandwidth phased array antennas (i.e. >45 GHz) open the door to new applications. However, such sensors require currently prohibitively small feature sizes for commercial 3D printing technologies along with increasing challenges with connecting the driving electronics to such features. An additional finding with related advanced manufacturing challenges is the rapid production of 3D additive connectors for integration with commercial printed circuit boards (PCBs), primarily for advanced in-circuit inspection techniques. This work is developing additive manufacturing processes for producing connected and conductive fine scale 3D features. The primary focus was on aerosol-jet printing (AJP), which has a small minimum resolution (<50 µm) but is traditionally printed flat with small height/width aspect ratios <<1, and developing controls to enable fully 3D, high aspect ratio, and unsupported features. In Phase 1 of this effort, baselines of process performance were characterized, and test coupons produced for both ultra-high frequency antennas and microstructures to support reverse engineering of PCBs. In Phase 2, these efforts will be extended for system demonstration of ultra-high frequency antenna arrays, as well as reverse engineering circuitry for dense PCBs.

42 ENGINEERING↗
NASA NTRS2013

Miniaturized, High-Speed, Modulated X-Ray Source

A low-cost, miniature x-ray source has been developed that can be modulated in intensity from completely off to full intensity on nanosecond timescales. This modulated x-ray source (MXS) has no filaments and is extremely rugged. The energy level of the MXS is adjustable from 0 to more than 100 keV. It can be used as the core of many new devices, providing the first practical, arbitrarily time-variable source of x-rays. The high-speed switching capability and miniature size make possible many new technologies including x-ray-based communication, compact time-resolved x-ray diffraction, novel x-ray fluorescence instruments, and low- and precise-dose medical x-rays. To make x-rays, the usual method is to accelerate electrons into a target material held at a high potential. When the electrons stop in the target, x-rays are produced with a spectrum that is a function of the target material and the energy to which the electrons are accelerated. Most commonly, the electrons come from a hot filament. In the MXS, the electrons start off as optically driven photoelectrons. The modulation of the x-rays is then tied to the modulation of the light that drives the photoelectron source. Much of the recent development has consisted of creating a photoelectrically-driven electron source that is robust, low in cost, and offers high intensity. For robustness, metal photocathodes were adopted, including aluminum and magnesium. Ultraviolet light from 255- to 350-nm LEDs (light emitting diodes) stimulated the photoemissions from these photocathodes with an efficiency that is maximized at the low-wavelength end (255 nm) to a value of roughly 10(exp -4). The MXS units now have much higher brightness, are much smaller, and are made using a number of commercially available components, making them extremely inexpensive. In the latest MXS design, UV efficiency is addressed by using a high-gain electron multiplier. The photocathode is vapor-deposited onto the input cone of a Burle Magnum(TradeMark) multiplier. This system yields an extremely robust photon-driven electron source that can tolerate long, weeks or more, exposure to air with negligible degradation. The package is also small. When combined with the electron target, necessary vacuum fittings, and supporting components (but not including LED electronics or high-voltage sources), the entire modulated x-ray source weighs as little as 158 grams.

Gendreau, Keith↗
NASA NTRS2018

Standardizing GPU Radiation Test Approaches

While some Graphical Processing Units (GPUs) are discrete components (i.e.GTX1050), others take the form of an IP block or embedded engine within a System on Chip (SoC) device such as the Qualcomm Snapdragon"TM" 820 which contains a Qualcomm Adreno"TM" 530 GPU. Within this device are various functional blocks which can be exercised with software payloads. NVidia's Jetson"TM" TX1 SoC is provided on a System on Module (SOM). Within it are Central Processing Unit (CPU) cores and an nVidia GPU which can be accessed similarly to a discrete GPU coprocessor. While the packaging is different, each one of these GPUs needs to be tested using the same standardized code.

Single Event Effects (SEE)↗
NASA NTRS2012

Acquisition of Long-Duration, Low-Gravity Slosh Data Utilizing Existing ISS Equipment (SPHERES) for Calibration of CFD Models of Coupled Fluid-Vehicle Behavior

Accurate prediction of coupled fluid slosh and launch vehicle or spacecraft dynamics (e.g., nutation/precessional movement about various axes, attitude changes, ect.) requires Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) models calibrated with low-gravity, long duration slosh data. Recently completed investigations of reduced gravity slosh behavior have demonstrated the limitations of utilizing parabolic flights on specialized aircraft with respect to the specific objectives of the experiments. Although valuable data was collected, the benefits of longer duration low-gravity environments were clearly established. The proposed research provides the first data set from long duration tests in zero gravity that can be directly used to benchmark CFD models, including the interaction between the sloshing fluid and the tank/vehicle dynamics. To explore the coupling of liquid slosh with the motion of an unconstrained tank in microgravity, NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Launch Services Program has teamed up with the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the Office of the Chief Technologist (OCT) to perform a series of slosh dynamics experiments on the International Space Station using the SPHERES platform. The Synchronized Position Hold Engage Reorient Experimental Satellites (SPHERES) testbed provides a unique, free-floating instrumented platform on ISS that can be utilized in a manner that would solve many of the limitations of the current knowledge related to propellant slosh dynamics on launch vehicle and spacecraft fuel tanks. The six degree of freedom (6-DOF) motion of the SPHERES free-flyer is controlled by an array of cold-flow C02 thrusters, supplied from a built-in liquid C02 tank. These SPHERES can independently navigate and re-orient themselves within the ISS. The intent of this project is to design an externally mounted tank to be driven inside the ISS by a set of two SPHERES devices (Figure 1 ). The tank geometry simulates a launch vehicle upper stage propellant tank and the maneuvers replicate those of real vehicles. The design includes inertial sensors, data acquisition, image capture and data storage interfaces to the SPHERES VERTIGO computer system on board the flight article assembly. The design also includes mechanical and electronic interfaces to the existing SPHERES hardware, which include self-contained packages that can operate in conjunction with the existing SPHERES electronics.

Schallhorn, Paul↗
NASA NTRS2013

Acquisition of Long-Duration, Low-Gravity Slosh Data Utilizing Existing ISS Equipment (SPHERES) for Calibration of CFD Models of Coupled Fluid-Vehicle Behavior

Accurate prediction of coupled fluid slosh and launch vehicle or spacecraft dynamics (e.g., nutation/precessional movement about various axes, attitude changes, ect.) requires Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) models calibrated with low-gravity, long duration slosh data. Recently completed investigations of reduced gravity slosh behavior have demonstrated the limitations of utilizing parabolic flights on specialized aircraft with respect to the specific objectives of the experiments. Although valuable data was collected, the benefits of longer duration low-gravity environments were clearly established. The proposed research provides the first data set from long duration tests in zero gravity that can be directly used to benchmark CFD models, including the interaction between the sloshing fluid and the tank/vehicle dynamics. To explore the coupling of liquid slosh with the motion of an unconstrained tank in microgravity, NASA's Kennedy Space Center, Launch Services Program has teamed up with the Florida Institute of Technology (FIT), Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and the NASA Game Changing Development Program (GCD) to perform a series of slosh dynamics experiments on the International Space Station using the SPHERES platform. The Synchronized Position Hold Engage Reorient Experimental Satellites (SPHERES) testbed provides a unique, free-floating instrumented platform on ISS that can be utilized in a manner that would solve many of the limitations of the current knowledge related to propellant slosh dynamics on launch vehicle and spacecraft fuel tanks. The six degree of freedom (6-DOF) motion of the SPHERES free-flyer is controlled by an array of cold-flow C02 thrusters, supplied from a built-in liquid C02 tank. These SPHERES can independently navigate and re-orient themselves within the ISS. The intent of this project is to design an externally mounted tank to be driven inside the ISS by a set of two SPHERES devices (Figure 1). The tank geometry simulates a launch vehicle upper stage propellant tank and the maneuvers replicate those of real vehicles. The design includes inertial sensors, data acquisition, image capture and data storage interfaces to the SPHERES VERTIGO computer system on board the flight article assembly. The design also includes mechanical and electronic interfaces to the existing SPHERES hardware, which include self-contained packages that can operate in conjunction with the existing SPHERES electronics

Schallhorn, Paul↗
NASA NTRS2007

An Overview of Wide Bandgap Silicon Carbide Sensors and Electronics Development at NASA Glenn Research Center

A brief overview is presented of the sensors and electronics development work ongoing at NASA Glenn Research Center which is intended to meet the needs of future aerospace applications. Three major technology areas are discussed: 1) high temperature SiC electronics, 2) SiC gas sensor technology development, and 3) packaging of harsh environment devices. Highlights of this work include world-record operation of SiC electronic devices including 500?C JFET transistor operation with excellent properties, atomically flat SiC gas sensors integrated with an on-chip temperature detector/heater, and operation of a packaged AC amplifier. A description of the state-of-the-art is given for each topic. It is concluded that significant progress has been made and that given recent advancements the development of high temperature smart sensors is envisioned.

Hunter, Gary W.↗
NASA NTRS1975

Helical channel multiplier package design for space instrumentation

The package considered is intended for the channel electron multiplier (CEM) detectors which are to be used for the extreme ultraviolet telescope and helium glow detector instruments of the Apollo-Soyuz test project. In the package design selected, the cone of the CEM is supported at the front end by a silicone rubber ring which is molded in place and self-bonded to both the cone and the housing wall. The helix is supported and insulated from the housing by a fiber glass sleeve which is bonded to the inside of the housing.

Hoshiko, H. H.↗
NASA NTRS1985

Objectives and design of the Echo 6 electron beam experiment - Large ionospheric perturbations and energetic particle patterns

The data from the March 30, 1983 launching of Echo 6 are presented. Echo 6 contained duplex accelerators and a system of four throw away detectors to detect and analyze conjugate electron echoes. The model used to calculate the proper trajectory of the rocket and the reason for not detecting echoes are discussed. The components of the plasma diagnostic package which was used to study the electron beam interactions with the ionospheric plasma, and the functions of the two controllable electron guns and the two sets of orthogonal electric probes are described. The signal-mode potentials between each probe and the plasma diagnostic payload are investigated. The signals produced by the gun pulses are analyzed and the interpretation of the electric field probe response is examined.

Winckler, J. R.↗
NASA NTRS2019

Cold Survivable Distributed Motor Controller (CSDMC)

This paper presents the results of NASA’s COLDTECH development entitled “Cold Survivable Distributed Motor Controller (CSDMC)”. This work addresses the need to lower the mass, power and volume of the motor control electronics and its associated cabling. Landed payload mass of ocean world missions typically requires a spacecraft launch mass of 7-10x the landed mass due to the required propellant to get the payload to the surface. Reduction of landed mass leads to cheaper, more frequent missions and/or increased science return. This work addresses this need by developing a distributed electronics architecture, which places control and power electronics near or at actuators and instruments. The outcome of this effort will result in a 10X reduction in harness mass, enabling a significant increase in science payload which then enables more capable sample acquisition, delivery and analysis systems on these missions. Placing the control and power conversion electronics at or near the actuators or instruments is the cornerstone of our distributed architecture. To do this, we developed the technology necessary to distribute the electronics and place them on a shared interface and power bus. This enables a significant reduction in cable mass along with its associated complexity. This allows spacecraft designers to take advantage of volume at the extremities that would normally not be utilized. In this paper we discuss the technologies and system design to achieve these goals in support of ocean world missions. These technologies include the development of our motor control modules, a point of load regulator and isolated converter modules along with the packaging technology necessary to allow our electronics to survive the extreme temperatures.

Stell, Chris↗
NASA NTRS1989

Electron velocity distributions and plasma waves associated with the injection of an electron beam into the ionosphere

An electron beam was injected into earth's ionosphere on August 1, 1985, during the flight of the Space Shuttle Challenger as part of the objectives of the Spacelab 2 mission. In the wake of the Space Shuttle a magnetically aligned sheet of electrons returning from the direction of propagation of the beam was detected with the free-flying Plasma Diagnostics Package. The thickness of this sheet of returning electrons was about 20 m. Large intensifications of broadband electrostatic noise were also observed within this sheet of electrons. A numerical simulation of the interaction of the electron beam with the ambient ionospheric plasmas is employed to show that the electron beam excites electron plasma oscillations and that it is possible for the ion acoustic instability to provide a returning flux of hot electrons by means of quasi-linear diffusion.

Frank, L. A.↗
NASA NTRS2016

3D Printing in Zero G Technology Demonstration Mission: Summary of On-Orbit Operations, Material Testing, and Future Work

Human space exploration to date has been limited to low Earth orbit and the moon. The International Space Station (ISS), an orbiting laboratory 200 miles above the earth, provides a unique and incredible opportunity for researchers to prove out the technologies that will enable humans to safely live and work in space for longer periods of time and venture farther into the solar system. The ability to manufacture parts in-space rather than launch them from earth represents a fundamental shift in the current risk and logistics paradigm for human spaceflight. In particularly, additive manufacturing (or 3D printing) techniques can potentially be deployed in the space environment to enhance crew safety (by providing an on-demand part replacement capability) and decrease launch mass by reducing the number of spare components that must be launched for missions where cargo resupply is not a near-term option. In September 2014, NASA launched the 3D Printing in Zero G technology demonstration mission to the ISS to explore the potential of additive manufacturing for in-space applications and demonstrate the capability to manufacture parts and tools on-orbit. The printer for this mission was designed and operated by the company Made In Space under a NASA SBIR (Small Business Innovation Research) phase III contract. The overarching objectives of the 3D print mission were to use ISS as a testbed to further maturation of enhancing technologies needed for long duration human exploration missions, introduce new materials and methods to fabricate structure in space, enable cost-effective manufacturing for structures and mechanisms made in low-unit production, and enable physical components to be manufactured in space on long duration missions if necessary. The 3D print unit for fused deposition modeling (FDM) of acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) was integrated into the ISS Microgravity Science Glovebox (MSG) in November 2014 and phase I printing operations took place from November through December of that year. Phase I flight operations yielded 14 unique parts (21 total specimens) that could be directly compared against ground-based prints of identical geometry manufactured using the printer prior to its launch to ISS. The 3DP unit functioned safely and produced specimens necessary to advance the understanding of the critical design and operational parameters for the FDM process as affected by the microgravity environment. From the standpoint of operations, 3DP demonstrated the ability to remove parts from the build-tray on-orbit, teleoperate the printer from the ground, perform critical maintenance functions within defined human factors limits, produce a functional tool that could be evaluated for form/fit/function, and uplink a new part file from the ground and produce it on the printer. The flight parts arrived at NASA Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville, Alabama in April 2015, where they underwent months of testing in the materials and processes laboratory. Ground and flight prints completed the following phases of testing: photographic/visual inspection, mass and density evaluation, structured light scanning, XRay and CT, mechanical testing, optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and chemical analysis. This presentation will discuss the results of this testing as well as phase II operations for the printer, which took place in June and July of 2016. Lessons learned from the tech demo and their impacts on the design and development of the second generation 3D printer for ISS, the Additive Manufacturing Facility (AMF) by Made In Space will also be presented. In addition, progress in other elements of NASA's In Space Manufacturing (ISM) initiative such as the on-demand ISM utilization catalog, in-space Recycler ISS Technology Demonstration development, launch packaging recycling, in-space printable electronics, development of higher strength polymeric materials for 3D printing and Additive Construction by Mobile Emplacement (ACME) will also be addressed.

Prater, Tracie↗
NASA NTRS1988

An analysis of whistler mode radiation from the Spacelab 2 electron beam

During the Spacelab 2 mission the plasma diagnostics package (PDP) was released from the Shuttle to free fly. At times during this free flight, when the PDP was magnetically connected to the Shuttle, Stanford's fast-pulsed electron generator, located in the Shuttle cargo bay, ejected a 1-keV 50-mA electron beam. The PDP plasma-wave instrument detected intense whistler-mode radiation during these beam ejections. This paper presents a study of a whistler mode emission detected during one particular continuous electron beam firing. Calculations indicate that the beam radiated approximately 1.6 mW in the whistler mode as the beam traversed the 200 m from the Shuttle to the PDP. The emissivity also decreased by about a factor of 10 over this same distance. The measured wave powers are 10 to the 7th greater than wave powers expected from incoherent Cerenkov radiation, verifying that the radiation is generated by a coherent process. Estimates of the emissivity based on measured electric field intensities in the beam indicate that the whistler-mode noise is produced by radiation from electron bunches created by an electrostatic beam-plasma instability.

Farrell, W. M.↗
NASA NTRS2010

Ultra Low Temperature Ultra Low Power Instrument Packages for Planetary Surfaces

Achievement of solar system exploration roadmap goals will involve robotic or human deployment and longterm operation of surface science packages remote from human presence, thus requiring autonomous, self-powered operation. The major challenge such packages face will be operating during long periods of darkness in extreme cold potentially without the Pu238 based power and thermal systems available to Apollo era packages (ALSEP). Development of such science payloads will thus require considerable optimization of instrument and subsystem design, packaging and integration for a variety of planetary surface environments in order to support solar system exploration fully. Our work supports this process through the incorporation of low temperature operational components and design strategies which radically minimize power, mass, and cost while maximizing the performance under extreme surface conditions that are in many cases more demanding than those routinely experienced by spacecraft in deep space. Chief instruments/instrument package candidates include those which could provide long-term monitoring of the surface and subsurface environments for fundamental science and human crew safety. The initial attempt to design a 10 instrument environmental monitoring package with a solar/battery based power system led to a package with a unacceptably large mass (500 kg) of which over half was battery mass. In phase 1, a factor of 5 reduction in mass was achieved, first through the introduction of high performance electronics capable of operating at far lower temperature and then through the use of innovative thermal balance strategies involving the use of multi-layer thin materials and gravity-assisted heat pipes. In phase 2, reported here, involves strategies such as universal incorporation of ULT/ULP digital and analog electronics, and distributed or non-conventionally packaged power systems. These strategies will be required to meet the far more challenging thermal requirements of operating through a normal 28 day diurnal cycle. The limited temperature range of efficient battery operation remains the largest obstacle.

Clark, P. E.↗
NASA NTRS1971

Performance evaluation system for inertial navigation equipment

Testing system studies inertial characteristics of gyroscopic devices. System consisting of instrument support package, dynamic test table, torque control electronics, and real-time computer evaluates performance of prototype gyroscopic strapdown units in inertial-grade attitude-reference systems. System is applicable to commercial aircraft.

Mc Kern, R. A.↗
NASA NTRS1980

Stitch-bond parallel-gap welding for IC circuits

Stitch-bonded flatpacks are superior to soldered dual-in-lines where size, weight, and reliability are important. Results should interest designers of packaging for complex high-reliability electronics, such as that used in security systems, industrial process control, and vehicle electronics.

Chvostal, P.↗