Request for Solutions: STARRY NITE - Advanced Integration Interconnect & Fabrication Growth for Domestic State-of-the-art (SOTA) Radio Frequency (RF) Gallium Nitride (GaN)

Special Notice N0016421SNB75 Agency: Department of the Navy Office: Naval Sea Systems Command Location: NSWC Crane Division Classification Code: AC33 - National Defense R&D Services; Defense-Related Activities; Experimental Development NAICS Code: 334413 - Semiconductor and Related Device Manufacturing Response Due Date: 23 July 2021 Request for Solutions: STARRY NITE - Advanced Integration Interconnect & Fabrication Growth for Domestic State-of-the-art (SOTA) Radio Frequency (RF) Gallium Nitride (GaN) PURPOSE This Request for Solutions (RFS) is issued seeking to mature domestic, open SOTA RF GaN foundries in alignment with the Department of Defense (DoD) advanced packaging ecosystem. The purpose of the effort is to achieve RF GaN foundry maturation of Sub-15 (<0.15um) and Sub-10 nodes (<0.10um), this includes, open foundry design access via multi-project wafer runs and securing design/ Intellectual Property (IP) capture supporting technology transition to the Defense Industrial Base (DIB). It also includes achieving RF GaN Advance Interconnect (AIC) maturation of Sub-15 (<0.15um) and Sub-10 nodes (<0.10um) nodes supporting wafer servicing for the DoD advanced packaging ecosystem. The Government will evaluate the solutions with the intent of awarding an Other Transaction Agreement (OTA) in accordance with 10 U.S. Code - 2371b. BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY S2MARTS Vendors interested in responding to this RFS must be members of the Strategic & Spectrum Missions Advanced Resilient Trusted Systems (S2MARTS) consortium. Interested parties may visit S2MARTS.org for membership information. This project will be managed by a Naval Surface Warfare Center, Crane Division Project Manager. PROJECT OVERVIEW Over the last two decades, the DoD has supported the maturation of GaN technology due to its superior performance in high power, broadband RF applications. In comparison with Gallium Arsenide (GaAs), GaN offers higher output power, thermal conductivity, bandwidth, and power added efficiency (PAE). In comparison with other RF semiconductors competing for fifth generation (5G) market space (e.g., SiGe, Silicon, etc.), RF GaN is the only material with a path to potentially penetrate all 5G platforms: sub-6GHz remote radio head, sub-6GHz massive multi-input multi-output (MIMO) active antenna systems (AAS), backhaul, and mmW small cells. Unlike lower power RF materials which may be buoyed by non-military applications (e.g., automotive LiDAR and mobile handsets, etc.), it is strategic for the DoD to leverage the timely demands of a less captive SatCom market and support the maturation of domestic open RF GaN foundries within the DIB. SOTA foundry capabilities and advanced packaging are key technological discriminators amongst mmW applications, such as 5G communications, satellite communications (satcom), electronic warfare (EW), and radar. To maintain leadership in RF microelectronics, the DIB requires accelerated maturation of domestic open foundries with SOTA RF GaN offerings. Additionally, these SOTA fabrication capabilities require AIC techniques to properly interface with recent evolutions in the DIB's advanced packaging ecosystem. Altogether, the Starry Nite project seeks to satisfy these needs within the DIB ecosystem. Please visit the S2MARTS website at https://s2marts.org/ to review the full RFS. Contracting Office Address: 300 Hwy 361 Crane, IN 47522 United States Primary Point of Contact.: ReBecca Poplin-Smith rebecca.poplin@navy.mil Phone: 757-635-0170 Secondary Point of Contact: Carson Polley carson.polley@navy.mil Phone: 812-854-8290