Modern warship designs are placing increasing demands on the components required for constructing the power systems. These components must handle higher amounts of power, operate more efficiently, and take up less space. To help address these vast opportunities and monumental challenges, the EMPF has established the Power Packaging Laboratory.

Figure 3-1 itemizes the wide range of equipment and capabilities that is presently available to users of the Power Packaging Laboratory. Housed within a cleanroom environment, these tools provide the resources to create and investigate novel high-performance, high-reliability power electronic devices. In conjunction with the other capabilities available at the EMPF, the creation, assembly, and testing of high-power electronic devices can now be addressed under one roof. This new assemblage of equipment gives the Power Packaging Laboratory the capability to produce a wide variety of prototype packaging options, using standard manufacturing assembly equipment. These options range from hermetic single and multi-chip packages to System in Package (SiP) on laminate, ceramic, glass, AlSiC, and other substrate materials. Die may be interconnected using any combination of wire bond or flip chip attachment methods.

The laboratory’s capabilities can and will specifically address the materials and assembly techniques used in power modules and power RF device packages. The use of reliable power electronics is critical to future naval platforms. The EMPF Power Packaging Laboratory will allow designers to rapidly assess and mitigate the risks inherent in the design of new electronics components and packages. Examples of some risks that might be encountered include: the power electronics used in advanced ship platforms must operate at higher power densities and higher temperatures; the power electronics packages available today are not designed or built to meet the current or future environmental and operational demands of the military; power electronic systems must be highly reliable,
maintainable, and easily supportable.; and all new high power electronic technologies must thoroughly tested, with failures diagnosed and anticipated prior to implementation.

Out of necessity, advanced power devices must be applied to power systems used in a variety of future military platforms. The new power electronics assembly and packaging laboratory at the EMPF will provide engineers to the manufacturing capabilities needed to take advantage of the full potential of the emerging advanced power electronics technologies.

In summary, the combination of the best in class packaging equipment, thermal simulation, thermal measurement capability, and device level diagnostics are the foundations upon which future systems for power, RF, and advanced packaging technology will advance rapidly. As part of the EMPF, the Power Packaging Laboratory will broaden its capabilities, and will not just meet, but will exceed the expectations of our customer base.