The company’s FAST Labs research, development and production organization completed Phase 1 of DARPA’s Technologies for Heat Removal in Electronics at the Device Scale, or THREADS, program. BAE Systems has now received continued support to advance the work into Phase 2.
THREADS is focused on addressing temperature limitations in high-performance RF electronics, particularly gallium nitride, or GaN, devices. The program is seeking material and process improvements that would allow those devices to operate at higher performance levels.
“We look forward to advancing to Phase 2 of the THREADS program,” said Isaac Wildeson, principal investigator at BAE Systems’ FAST Labs. “The progress we’ve made during Phase 1 validates our approach to material and process enhancements and brings us closer to unlocking the full potential of RF-based systems for our warfighters.”
BAE Systems said the thermal-management technology being developed through THREADS could nearly triple the range of RF systems. The company said that improvement would increase both safety and engagement distances for military personnel.
The work is being carried out at BAE Systems’ Microelectronics Center in Nashua, New Hampshire, a Department of War Category 1A Trusted Supplier. The facility develops and manufactures advanced gallium nitride and gallium arsenide integrated circuits.
BAE Systems is working on the program with Modern Microsystems, Penn State University, Stanford University, the University of Notre Dame and the University of Texas at Dallas. The collaboration is intended to accelerate development of the technology as THREADS moves into its second phase.
