ADVANCED PACKAGING OF POWER SEMICONDUCTORS (APPS) PROGRAM

The U.S. Army Contracting Command - Aberdeen Proving Ground, Research Triangle Park Division, on behalf of the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, Sensors and Electron Devices Directorate (SEDD) is soliciting proposals for the Advanced Packaging of Power Semiconductor (APPS) program under Topic 1.4.3, "Wide Band-Gap Power Devices," of the ARL Core Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for Basic and Applied Scientific Research, W911NF-12-R-0011. ARL is soliciting proposals under this Special Notice of the Broad Agency Announcement (BAA) for the performance of applied research focused on extending the state-of-the-art in multi-die packaging of semiconductor devices for high-power applications. The aim of this Special Notice under the BAA is to address the current limitations of conventional packaging and support the recent advancements in silicon carbide (SiC) power device technology for military and commercial applications. SiC has emerged as a power semiconductor material with electrical, thermal, and mechanical properties that allow it to far surpass the performance of conventional silicon (Si) power technology and make it the prime candidate for next-generation high-power switching devices for military, as well as commercial, applications. SiC power devices have been demonstrated to provide greater than twice the power density of Si power devices and at greater efficiency. Traditional packaging approaches are now the limiting factor in fully realizing the performance benefits offered by SiC power device technology. Solutions are sought for the development of holistic, multiphysics approaches to power module development that address electrical, thermal and thermomechanical issues in a coupled manner to realize the full performance of SiC semiconductor devices. SiC is being explored and/or implemented for low voltage (600 V to 1200 V), medium voltage (3.3 kV - 6.5 kV), and high voltage (10 kV - 24 kV) military and/or commercial applications. Depending on the voltage class and current levels involved, electrical considerations may include high dv/dt capability, partial discharge, electromagnetic interference (EMI), common mode current from parasitic capacitance, inductance, miller capacitance, and external electrical connections. Thermal considerations may include heat dissipation capability, package thermal resistance, and external thermal interfacing. The thermomechanical aspects may include compliant interface materials, coefficient of thermal expansion matching and thermal/power cycling capability. The above enumeration of considerations is not all-inclusive nor exhaustive. A successful proposal will provide an innovative packaging solution which integrates novel configurations, advanced manufacturing technologies, numerical analyses, novel materials, and/or innovative design processes. The Army is considering several application examples wherein high temperature power modules are utilized. It is anticipated that, over the period of performance, an applicant will be able to demonstrate an advanced module design that provides dramatic improvements over current state-of-the-art commercial packaging. Since the APPS program goals align well with future high-power commercial applications, it is also expected that an applicant will include matching funds of no less than 25% of their total proposed program costs. This cost sharing should be clearly reflected in an applicant's proposed budget. There will be no equipment purchases using federal funds associated with awards made as a result of this Special Notice. Funding is currently available for up to three cooperative agreements related to the SiC APPS program for the Fiscal Year (FY) 2016 funds. However, the Government reserves the right to award as many, as few, or no awards based on the proposals received from this Special Notice. While the BAA and Topic remain open for proposal submission until 31 March 2017, in order to be eligible for award under this Special Notice with the funding available for FY 2016, proposals must be received in accordance with the due dates and instructions provided in this announcement. It is anticipated that up to three "cooperative agreements" (31 USC 6305) will be awarded, pursuant to 10 USC 2358 Research Projects, each with a period of performance between twelve and eighteen months. The total amount available for all awards is anticipated to be approximately $2,000,000.00. The principal purpose of a cooperative agreement is for the public purpose of support and stimulation of fundamental research and not the acquisition of property or provision of services for the direct benefit or use of the Government. A Recipient of a cooperative agreement will work collaboratively with scientists from ARL to further the SiC APPS program. ARL will participate in the research and use its strong in-house technical expertise to jointly plan and execute the research program with a Recipient. ARL will assess the multi-chip module designs for applicability to Army-specific stresses. ARL will also analyze provided modules' electrical and physical response. These analyses and supporting data will be shared with a Recipient and ways to augment the package design, materials and/or process to improve performance will be jointly determined. In order to be eligible for a cooperative agreement to be awarded with the FY2016 funding for this program, applicants are to submit proposals in accordance with the submission instructions under BAA W911NF-12-R-0011-03 no later than 07 February 2016. Proposals will be evaluated using the criteria listed in the BAA. Once an applicant submits a complete proposal, the applicant shall notify the point of contact listed via email and provide their Grants.gov submission tracking number. Under this Special Notice, no formal Q&A will take place. If an applicant has a general and/or clarification technical question related to this Special Notice, contact Mr. Dimeji Ibitayo at oladimeji.o.ibitayo.civ@mail.mil. For general contractual/assistance related questions, contact Mr. Brandon Hill at Brandon.s.hill24.civ@mail.mil. This special notice expires 07 February 2016 at 11:59 PM (EST).