How a 1983 Phase I SBIR Led to Support for the US Industrial Base

J.Cole, K. Cole
Silicon Designs, Inc., Washington, United States

Keywords: MEMS Accelerometers, Weapon Fuzing, Explosive Safety, Dual-Use

In 1983 Silicon Designs (SDI) was awarded a NAVAIR SBIR to develop an electronic safe and arm (S&A) device for tactical missiles. When designed, the S&A needed an accelerometer that was not available in the marketplace. So SDI designed one based on the then-new MEMS technology and suggested that the Navy develop one. NAVAIR subsequently issued a solicitation for one that was awarded to SDI. SDI then developed and commercialized the accelerometer technology that has produced over 600,000 units. This presentation will describe the key decisions on how that S&A design became the approach used in most US tactical missiles today, and how SDI's dual-use MEMS accelerometers became the standard accelerometer used in over 20 missile programs and in many other industrial applications.