BAE SYSTEMS Leads the Way in Mixed-Signal Technology.WASHINGTON -- BAE Systems BAE Systems British manufacturer of aircraft, missiles, avionics, naval vessels, and other aerospace and defense products. BAE Systems was formed (1999) from the merger of British Aerospace (BAe) with Marconi Electronic Systems. is leading the way in "mixed-signal" technology that will significantly reduce the size, weight, and power consumption of military electronic systems while increasing performance. Silicon computer chips soon will be able to perform digital, radio frequency, and photonic functions in a single chip. BAE Systems recently was awarded $6 million under Phase II of the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency's (DARPA DARPA: see Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. (Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) The name given to the U.S. Advanced Research Projects Agency during the 1980s. It was later renamed back to ARPA. ) Electronic and Photonic Integrated Circuits (EPIC) program to further develop the technology. "Based on our current advances, I foresee a viable mixed-signal electronic/photonic application in less than five years," said Dr. Mike Grove, BAE Systems' EPIC program manager in Washington, D.C. "By incorporating selected photonic components into the complementary metal oxide semiconductor See CMOS. (integrated circuit) Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor - (CMOS) A semiconductor fabrication technology using a combination of n- and p-doped semiconductor material to achieve low power dissipation. (CMOS (Complementary Metal Oxide Semiconductor) Pronounced "c-moss." The most widely used integrated circuit design. It is found in almost every electronic product from handheld devices to mainframes. ) process, we are achieving chip performance levels researchers have sought for years." The company is taking a mature electronics process in CMOS and adapting it to add complex photonics functions -- ranging from the photonic processing of massive amounts of RF bandwidth to extremely high-speed digital interconnects. CMOS-compatible devices the team developed during EPIC's Phase I include monolithic integration of ultra-low-power-consumption silicon ring optical modulators, fourth-order narrowband optical filters with tuneable passbands and center wavelengths, and silicon-germanium waveguide waveguide, device that controls the propagation of an electromagnetic wave so that the wave is forced to follow a path defined by the physical structure of the guide. photodetectors. The Phase II award brings the total EPIC contract value to nearly $14 million. DARPA's Microsystems Technology Office manages the EPIC program. BAE Systems' EPIC team includes subcontractors Bell Laboratories, the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Massachusetts Institute of Technology, at Cambridge; coeducational; chartered 1861, opened 1865 in Boston, moved 1916. It has long been recognized as an outstanding technological institute and its Sloan School of Management has notable programs in business, , Cornell University, and Applied Wave Research. About BAE Systems: BAE Systems is the premier trans-Atlantic defense and aerospace company, delivering a full range of products and services for air, land and naval forces, as well as advanced electronics, information technology solutions and customer support services support services Psychology Non-health care-related ancillary services–eg, transportation, financial aid, support groups, homemaker services, respite services, and other services . BAE Systems, with more than 100,000 employees worldwide, had 2005 sales that exceeded $28 billion. |
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