IUCRC Phase I Georgia Institute of Technology: Electronic-Photonic Integrated Circuits for Aerospace (EPICA)

随着人类继续将各种活动扩展到空间，以支持基本的通信、气候监测、研究和探索，必须确定能够在恶劣环境中运行的关键集成电子和光子技术的可行性和安全性。集成光子学使系统具有无与伦比的能效、寿命和能力，从而通过启用强大的国防部系统来改善从全球互联网可用性和可靠性到改善环境传感和增强安全性的方方面面。航空航天电子-光子集成电路(EPICA)的目标是使日益复杂的电子和光子学能够在空间和航空航天平台的通信和传感应用中使用。由组件、系统和航空航天研究人员组成的不同团队将合作，提高相关环境考虑因素的知识，并制作特定的组件和架构，以满足独特的可靠性和性能要求。EPICA的目标是为航空航天和空间平台的下一波通信和传感技术提供支持。重点是调查这些设备和系统在太空等极端环境中运行的可靠性。该项目有三个主要目标：i)评估、了解和开发强大的集成光子硬件，以便在辐射和温度极端条件下可靠地运行；ii)使用系统级方法和工具开发组件和架构，以最大限度地发挥航空航天平台集成光子系统的优势；iii)为后续飞行演示定义飞行硬件和任务架构。一个由佐治亚理工学院、中佛罗里达大学和范德比尔特大学组成的三所大学团队，拥有互补的专业知识和设施，将把分析和实验能力应用于这个项目。佐治亚理工学院的研究人员将定义航空航天系统的关键性能参数，并开发满足这些要求的架构和组件。这些电路将在各种集成平台上制造。佐治亚理工学院的团队还将定义和评估飞行要求的影响，包括包装和特定于任务的环境。该团队将直接与Vanderbilt团队合作设计和评估组件，并将在架构和组件设计方面与CREOL团队合作。EPICA将提升美国在设计和制造坚固的集成电子和光子学方面的能力，实现全球可靠的互联网接入，并创造新的环境传感能力。EPICA团队还在积极创建一支多元化的劳动力队伍，其中包括一项旨在提高来自代表不足群体的学生在高级光子学、电子学和光学科学领域的成功的指导计划。每个站点都将吸引专业协会的参与，并有积极的桥梁计划，以支持和过渡代表不足的学生从学士学位水平到研究生院。数据、代码、结果、IAB会议摘要和出版物的项目库将以数字方式存档。每个站点将维护自己的本地存储，佐治亚理工学院将管理一个全面的云存储站点，项目合作伙伴可以访问。该资料库将从第一年开始持续维护，并在获奖结束后的三年内持续维护。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

As mankind continues to expand a wide range of activities into space to support essential communications, climate monitoring, research and exploration, it is imperative to establish the viability and safety of key enabling integrated electronics and photonic technologies for operation in harsh environments. Integrated photonics enable systems with unmatched power efficiency, longevity and capability thus improving everything from internet availability and reliability around the planet to improving environmental sensing and enhanced security by enabling robust DoD systems. The objective of Electronic-Photonic Integrated Circuits for Aerospace (EPICA) is to enable the use of increasingly sophisticated electronics and photonics in communications and sensing applications for space-borne and aerospace platforms. The diverse team of component, systems and aerospace researchers will collaborate to advance knowledge of associated environmental considerations, and craft specific components and architectures to meet the unique reliability and performance requirements.EPICA’s objective is to enable the next wave of communications and sensing technologies for aerospace and space-borne platforms. The focus is on investigating the reliability of these devices and systems operating in extreme environments such as space. The project has three major thrusts: i) Assessment, understanding, and development of robust integrated photonic hardware for reliable operation under radiation and temperature extremes; ii) Development of components and architectures using system-level methods and tools to extract maximum advantage of integrated photonic systems for aerospace platforms; iii) Definition of flight hardware and mission architectures for subsequent flight demonstration. A three-university team, comprised of Georgia Tech, The University of Central Florida and Vanderbilt University, with complementary expertise and facilities, will apply both analytical and experimental capabilities to this project. Georgia Tech researchers will define key performance parameters for aerospace systems and develop architectures and components to meet these requirements. These circuits will be fabricated on a variety of integration platforms. The Georgia Tech team will also define and assess the impact of flight requirements including packaging and mission specific environments. The team will work directly with the Vanderbilt team in the design and assessment of components and will collaborate with the CREOL team on architecture and component design.EPICA will advance US-based capabilities in the design and manufacture of robust integrated electronics and photonics, enabling reliable internet access around the planet and creating new environmental sensing capabilities. The EPICA team is also actively creating a diverse workforce that includes a mentoring program designed to increase the success of students from underrepresented groups in areas of advanced photonics, electronics and optical sciences. Each site will engage professional societies and have active Bridge Programs to support and transition underrepresented students from the baccalaureate level to graduate school.A project repository for data, code, results, IAB meeting summaries and publications will be digitally archived. Each site will maintain their own local storage and Georgia Tech will manage a comprehensive cloud storage site accessible to the project partners. The repository will be maintained continuously from the first year and for three years after conclusion of the award.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.