Draper's new center increases capacity to meet escalating
national demand; new operation enables transition to an open
foundry service model.
CAMBRIDGE, Mass., July 9, 2024
/PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Draper is working toward the future of
application-unique microelectronics product development with the
creation of the Draper Advanced Packaging Facility to enable faster
designing and building of microelectronic components.
"Draper has created an advanced packaging
facility that drives high-mix production of heterogenous
microchips, invites production runs from open foundry customers and
contributes to the nation's supply of defense-grade
microelectronics," Dr. Jerry M.
Wohletz, president and CEO at Draper,
The facility highlights Draper's established capabilities in
three-dimensional heterogeneously integrated (3DHi) microsystems,
which enables the stacking of separately manufactured components
into a single package and delivers advanced security, high
precision, high accuracy and peak performance in harsh
environments.
Each year, Draper's facilities design, produce, test and ship
microelectronics to the Defense Department and commercial
customers. The new facility, based in St.
Petersburg, Fla., is a Defense Microelectronics Activity
(DMEA)-certified, trusted foundry manufacturing center.
Dr. Jerry M. Wohletz, president
and CEO at Draper, said, "In answering our customers' call for
secure, mission-unique microelectronics solutions, we've created an
advanced packaging facility that drives high-mix production of
heterogenous microchips, invites production runs from open foundry
customers and contributes to the nation's supply of defense-grade
microelectronics. It also provides our teams with the onshore
manufacturing resources they need to continue delivering products
impactful to the Draper mission."
Domestic interest in advanced chip packaging is growing. Intel
Foundry recently unveiled its U.S. Military, Aerospace and
Government (USMAG) Alliance, which Draper joined. The Defense
Department, through the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency
(DARPA), similarly called for the establishment of a domestic
research and development center for fabrication of
three-dimensional heterogeneously integrated (3DHi) microsystems.
Draper's advanced packaging center was funded in part by a
$10M award from the Defense
Production Act (DPA) Title III office provided in 2021 to expand
capacity.
The result is an open-access production facility accessible by
stakeholders to holistically address the design, packaging,
assembly and testing of 3DHi prototypes and products. Heterogeneous
integration enables early architecture exploration, rapid software
development and system validation, efficient die and package
co-design, robust die-to-die connectivity and improved
manufacturing and reliability.
"Our fabrication facility is a trusted partner to the U.S.
government community because it is dedicated to the design,
creation and implementation of vital technologies such as 3DHi
which creates technology differentiation needed for mission
success," said Sarah Leeper, vice
president and general manager of Draper's Electronic Systems. "3DHi
fills a unique need for the Department of Defense where mission
customization and quick end-item component and manufacturing
process iteration that are inherent of advanced packaging provide
the flexibility not offered by high-performance standard chip
design."
The application areas essential to long-term national leadership
include those for secure- and safety-critical applications and
harsh environments. These applications require designing
capabilities into microelectronics that are beyond the need of
typical consumer electronics, computer and peripheral equipment and
IoT products.
A new ecosystem is growing up around the ever-increasing variety
of chiplets, which perform highly specialized functions and work
together to meet the unique requirements of a given application.
This arrangement enables customized packaging of different
components that perform specific functions—including memory, logic,
optoelectronics, communication and smart sensing—to meet any set of
requirements.
Draper's new Advanced Packaging Facility in St. Petersburg adds to recent announcements by
the company to extend its long-running leadership in the defense
sector's electronics ecosystem. In March, Draper announced a
partnership with the University of
Massachusetts at Lowell to establish a center of research
and innovation in electronic systems at the university. In 2023,
Draper opened a campus in Odon,
Indiana to serve customers in the defense sector, including
the Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division.
"Like the national security customers we serve, Draper's
employees are mission-driven," said Don
Benzing, program and campus manager for Draper at
St. Petersburg. "The new advanced
packaging fabrication facility will support future growth in
microelectronics."
Draper
As a nonprofit engineering innovation company, Draper serves the
nation's interests and security needs; advances technologies at the
intersection of government, academia and industry; cultivates the
next generation of innovators; and solves the most complex
challenges. Multidisciplinary teams drawn from a broad and deep
talent pool of 1,300 engineers and scientists collaborate to
develop first-of-a-kind solutions. Draper's unbiased approach
enables the company to focus on their customers' needs and to
deliver new capabilities to them. Learn more at draper.com.
Media Contact
Dan Dent, Draper, 6172582462,
ddent@draper.com, https://www.draper.com/
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prweb.com/releases/new-advanced-packaging-facility-accelerates-future-of-microelectronics-integration-302191844.html
SOURCE Draper