ESA Open Invitation to Tender: 1-11152
Open Date: 13/07/2022 14:51 CEST
Closing Date: 18/11/2022 13:00 CEST

The objective of this activity is to design, develop and test an engineering model of thermally-efficient packaging assembly concepts for the mechanical and electrical interfaces of >400 W GaN power transistors, as key components of the power supplies necessary for power amplifiers in telecommunication satellites. Targeted Improvements:- Improving the heat transfer from the GaN power transistor to the baseplate by a factor of 7, while providing a low electrical impedance path to the main board (connection with low parasitic resistance, inductance and capacitance).- Increase the switching frequency by a factor of 3.5.Description: Current telecommunication satellites employ electronic power conditioners with high thermal impedance and limited heat extraction capability, restraining the capability of achieving enhanced performance: higher switching frequency, higher efficiency and higher bandwidth. The possibilities to reach a wide bandwidth with the new GaN devices is limited by heat extraction capabilities. A thermally-efficient packaging assembly for mounting the high-switching cell (consists of 2 GaN power transistors, input capacitors and a driving circuit) on the electronic power conditioner baseplate, with generic mechanical and electrical interfaces, would improve the heat extraction capability. This generic high switching cell would support 100 W to 800 W electronic power conditioners for solid state power amplifiers, improving their performance and reducing their size.In this activity, materials and assembly and integration concepts will be investigated and developed to demonstrate a mechanical assembly on which a switching cell can be soldered. This assembly would be mounted on the baseplate of the power module, providing an improved thermal path to evacuate the power lost from the switching cell to the baseplate. The aim of the assembly is to achieve a low thermal impedance path from the switching cell to the baseplate and provide an electrical connection to the main board with low parasitics (stray inductance, resistance and capacitance). This would allow the switching frequency to be increased compared to traditional assembling techniques, hence achieving the benefits that the full performance of GaN power transistors can offer. An engineering model will be designed and manufactured, comprising a switching cell with 2GaN power devices, input capacitors and driver circuitry, to achieve optimum heat transfer and a low electrical impedance path. Tests will be carried out to evaluate the performance and to assess future development needs for this generic module. Procurement Policy: C(1) = Activity restricted to non-prime contractors (incl. SMEs). For additional information please go to this link.

Directorate: Directorate Telecom Integrated Applica
Estabilishment: ESTEC
ECOS Required: No
Classified: No
Price Range: > 500 KEURO
Authorised Contact Person: Claudia Ria Piesche
Initiating Service: TIA-TTS
IP Measure: C1
Prog. Reference: E/0534-01G - CC-AT 4.0.1
Tender Type: Open Competition
Open To Tenderers From: AT+BE+CA+CH+CZ+DE+DK+GR+ES+FI+FR+GB+HU+IE+IT+LU+NL+NO+PL+PT+RO+SE
Technology Keywords: 6-E-II-RF Equipment
Products Keywords: 2-L-2/3/4.1-n-Other