CANEUS MNT: International Collaborative Development of Micro and Nano Technology For Aerosapce Applications

Workshops

In 2008, there were three Sector Consortia workshops that were held.

The CANEUS Small Satellite Sector Consortium and the Aerospace Corporation hosted a workshop in El Segundo, California from January 31 to February 1, 2008. This workshop addressed the need for common standards between the US, Europe and other countries worldwide. The workshop began with keynote addresses on the need to reduce the SpaceWire PnP overhead to a bare minimum to get a basic and common functionality and then input from members representing the US, Canada, Europe and Brazil / Japan / Israel. The confirmed speakers included representatives from the US ORS, AF, and the European SpaceWire expert on the RMAP developments and PnP, among others.

The CANEUS Reliability Sector Consortium and CNES (the French space agency) hosted a workshop on MEMS Reliability for Space, Aeronautics, and Defence Applications from May 29 to 30, 2008 at Institut Aéronautique et Spatial (IAS) in Toulouse, France. The goal of this workshop was to develop an MNT reliability and testing program with broad applicability for dealing with a diverse set of MNT systems and vendors for these systems. The consortium project is based on a clear identification of the end-user reliability and radiation tolerance needs, and technical solutions to deal with MEMS design for reliability, virtual prototyping, technology analysis, failure analysis, test, qualification, and system versus component reliability trades. Output from this workshops includes an implementation plan for five specific initiatives under the Reliability Consortium umbrella.

The CANEUS Devices Sector Consortium and CSEM hosted a workshop on Harsh Environment Sensors from September 25 to 26, 2008 in Neuchatel Switzerland. The event was co-organized by the EPFL and University of Neuchatel’s IMT. Harsh environment (HE) sensors are a key challenge, especially for low volume and high reliability applications in various fields like space, aerospace, defense, and energy. The main objective of the MNT-based Harsh Environment Sensors Workshop was to establish international consortia and evolve from concept to system-level products, based on the recent advances in solid state technologies such as SiC, SOI, and ceramics/alloys. There is often little communication between end-users (e.g. satellite builders) and technology providers (e.g. MEMS accelerometer manufacturers). This workshop aimed at sharing information between those two communities in order to develop the harsh environment roadmaps to address aerospace needs for MNT sensors/systems. The projects proposed by the consortium are based on a clear identification of the end-user needs and technical capabilities provided by involved laboratory and manufacturer know-how. National and international agencies are involved in the project.

The CANEUS Fly-by-Wireless Sector Consortium and NASA hosted a workshop in Grapevine, Texas from March 27 to 28, 2007 in conjunction with the 5th Annual RFID World Conference and the IEEE International Conference on RFID. The objectives of the workshops were to communicate the CANEUS "'Fly-by-Wireless' Vision" and Project Partnering, develop cooperating Application/End User and Technology Provider Groups that intend to further the "Fly-by-Wireless" vision, and provide communication of results and additional opportunities for further development of cooperative work and partnerships.