Technical Problem and Solution

Micro and Nano Technologies have the potential to revolutionize the systems technologies associated with the next generation of aerospace vehicles and satellites. Research and development of MNT has been motivated by:

1. The potential to enable novel applications, due to their unprecedented sensitivities, small size, low power consumption, and high speed,
2. Low cost, disposable devices arising from the promise of batch fabrication processes, and
3. Improved product performance due to self testing and self calibration capabilities.

A key problem for MNT-based materials, devices and systems remains the lack of a comprehensive and systematic reliability testing protocols and databases. For aerospace systems in particular, having well-defined reliability models based on extensive test data is crucial prior to acceptance in future missions. Today, very little is known in the field of MNT reliability because these technologies are very diverse and are also, except in a few instances, not manufactured in large quantities. Also, the application in aerospace tend to be very diverse in terms of mission duration and environments.
The solution is to form a reliability and testing company that is well integrated with both the vendors of MNT systems as well as the aerospace end-users. Thus the reliability company performs the function of bridging the “qap” between these two communities leading to a “design for reliability” approach on the manufacturer’s end and more rapid infusion at the aerospace end-user’s end. The proposed company will adopt a systematic approach to addressing these diverse and complex issues, with solutions that are very specific to the application and the particular device. Current solutions that have been implemented are primarily for microelectronics devices, where a one-size-fits-all approach is generally applicable. For the broader MNT universe, a new approach has to be adopted for ensuring reliable, long-term performance.
An exhaustive evaluation of the existing literature and data on the reliability of MNT has revealed that reliability considerations in MNT have often taken a historical path rather than a systematic approach. While these reviews highlight the major reliability concerns and issues, the solutions often seem very specific to the application or the device. Under this current paradigm, it seems that there is no alternative to tedious evaluation of the reliability of MNT for every specific device and application. Given the enormous effort involved in developing such a database and its rather device-specific nature, such a strategy seems rather restrictive and cost prohibitive. Another major concern arises on account of the lack of easy portability of these systems across manufacturing platforms. Given this state of the art, there is a need to develop a coherent, systematic and broad based approach to reliability