Microwave Substrate Facility

BAE Systems’ microwave substrate facility specializes in the production of hard and soft microwave substrates and getters for internal and (limited) external customers. The lab fabricates a wide range of thin-film coatings on hard substrates (alumina, beryllia, aluminum nitride and quartz), including Au, Cr, Ni, NiCr, Pd, TaN, Ti and TiW. An advanced Semicore sputtering system is our primary tool for applying these films, and an electron beam evaporator is used to deposit some films. The lab also fabricates soft-substrate material for use in microwave applications. Raw material of many types (Rogers Duroid, Taconic, Ultralam and FR-4) is stocked for quick fabrication. In general, the facility can process any soft substrate material.

The microwave substrate facility is a low- to medium-volume fabricator, providing sufficient quantities for moderate-volume DoD programs. These programs are traditional military or hi-rel space applications; thus, the substrates are fabricated to the latest mil spec requirements in order to meet the program needs.
An important feature of the facility is its rapid response capability. We are able to turn product around very quickly in response to urgent engineering and production problems.

The facility’s proprietary, patented, thin-film getter protects high performance MMIC devices from the effects of hydrogen exposure.

 

For further information please contact:

+1 603-485-7940
martin.a.priolo@baesystems.com