Ctrl-P to Print

Harsh Environment Robust Micromechanical Technology (HERMIT)

Program Manager: Dr. Amit Lal

HERMIT seeks to attain micromechanical devices capable of operating under harsh conditions-e.g., under large temperature excursions, large power throughputs, high g-forces, presence of corrosive substances, etc.-while maintaining unprecedented performance, stability, and lifetime (including storage lifetime). Although HERMIT realizations of micromechanical RF switches are of particular interest-especially for reliable operation over several billions of cycles, where sizable power throughputs across an impacting interface constitute a harsh operational environment-implementations for vibrating resonator frequency reference elements, gyroscopes, accelerometers, and other DoD-relevant MEMS devices, that attain substantial improvements over the state-of-practice, are also desired.

The two HERMIT implementation approaches of most interest are: (1) wafer-level encapsulation or packaging strategies based on MEMS technology that isolate a micromechanical device from its surroundings while maintaining a desired environment via passive or active control; or (2) material and design engineering strategies that enhance the robustness of a micromechanical device and render it impervious to its environment, with or without a package (if possible).