The US Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) has awarded BAE Systems’ FAST Labs research and development organisation a USD 12 million (EUR 11.35 million) contract as part of the High Operational Temperature Sensors (HOTS) programme, the company announced on 9 December 2024.
The HOTS programme will help develop microelectronic sensor technologies capable of high-bandwidth, high-dynamic-range sensing at extreme temperatures.
Many critical defence and other systems such as hypersonic aircraft and missiles, automotive platforms, jet engine turbines, and oil-and-gas systems operate in extreme temperatures. Current sensors have limited performance in these conditions as they cannot operate in temperatures higher than 225°C; their capability is limited by the materials that comprise the sensors themselves, the accompanying circuitry (such as silicon-based transistor technology) and the packaging around them.
Under the terms of the DARPA contract, FAST Labs will design and build a new pressure sensor module – consisting of an integrated transducer and signal-conditioning microelectronics – able to operate with high performance at 800°C (1,472°F).
“Due to advances in materials and processes, there is now an ability to pursue high-bandwidth pressure sensors capable of performing in high-temperature environments not previously possible,” Amrita Masurkar, technology development manager at FAST Labs, was quoted as saying in a BAE Systems press release. “Through the HOTS programme, applications such as industrial process control, jet engine prognostics and space exploration could benefit from collection of real-time data using high-temperature pressure sensors and circuitry.”
Work on this programme will take place at BAE Systems’ facilities in Nashua, and Merrimack in New Hampshire. It will also include collaboration with subcontractors The Penn State Applied Research Laboratory, Purdue University and Kampanics and supplier GE Aerospace’s research centre.
