This project is to develop for space use a packaging technology featuring: low cost, improved hermeticity and radiation shields for PEMs (plastic encapsulated microcircuits). PEMs are high volume products, but space use is inherently low volume. This proposal describes the most cost effective approach to retro-fitting PEM's for space use. The technique involves attaching high Z metal shields to both top and bottom surfaces of PEMs in a manner which also reduces moisture absorption (on approx. 70% of the surface area), and maintains the original component footprint. Depending on orbit and use, these shields should provide a factor of 10 to 300 times total dose enhancement to the PEM. As commercial PEM's get thinner and smaller, all other known techniques such as spot shielding, removal of plastic & insertion of shields, further encapsulation, etc., all suffer serious drawbacks ranging from: little to no improvement in hermeticity; potential impact on device reliability; shielding only one side of the device; loss of fit interchangability; inadequate shield thickness; and considerable re-work costs. The proposed Plas-Pak(tm) packaging concept we believe will overcome all of these side-effects at the lowest possible total cost.
