A -- Thermal Ground Plane (TGP)

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES AND DESCRIPTION The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency is soliciting research proposals in the area of Thermal Ground Plane (TGP). Proposed research should investigate innovative uses of 2-phase cooling, as in common heat pipes, where the benefits include very high thermal conduction and extreme reliability in a light-weight, thin, 2-D package that is also engineered to match the thermal expansion of semiconductor substrates. Successful TGP approaches will explore modern, nano-structured materials for use as the wick, with the materials properties optimized for this role in the system (high lateral fluid mobility, high vertical thermal conductivity), and are compatible with the fluid and casing materials choices for the TGP. Fluids and casing materials are also an area of potential innovation, leading to the possibility of insulating TGP substrates, or - flex TGP substrates capable of being bent and twisted to fit novel applications. Specifically excluded are approaches which rely entirely on solid conduction because these approaches cannot deliver the very high, thermal conductivity required in this program. DARPA Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) No. 07-36, entitled - Thermal Ground Plane (TGP), is provided as an attachment to this solicitation notice and includes information on the specific areas of interest; the submission process; abstract and proposal formats; evaluation and selection/funding processes; as well as all other pertinent administrative and contractual information. The BAA may be obtained from the FedBizOpps website: http://www.fedbizopps.gov/, Grants.gov website: http://www.grants.gov/, World Wide Web (WWW) at URL http://www.darpa.mil/mto (go to - solicitation area) or by fax, electronic mail, or mail request to the administrative contact address given below. Proposals not meeting the format or following the submission instructions described in the BAA may not be reviewed. PROPOSER'S QUESTIONS A - Proposer's Questions, website will be posted for BAA 07-36 on the DARPA, Microsystems Technology Office solicitations page (www.darpa.mil/baa/#eto). If you would like to have a question answered and posted on this site, please send your question to the following address: BAA07-36@darpa.mil.