[Congressional Record Volume 155, Number 118 (Friday, July 31, 2009)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E2107-E2108]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                          EARMARK DECLARATION

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. MICHAEL K. SIMPSON

                                of idaho

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 30, 2009

  Mr. SIMPSON. Madam Speaker, in accordance with the policies and 
standards put forth by the House Appropriations Committee and the GOP 
Leadership, I would like to list the congressionally-directed projects 
I have requested in my home State of Idaho that are contained in the 
report of H.R. 3326, the FY2010 House Defense Appropriations Bill.
  Project Name: 3-D Technology for Advanced Sensor Systems
  Amount Received: $2,000,000
  Account: Electronics Technology Account in the Department of Defense 
RDT&E
  Recipient: Boise State University
  Recipient's Street Address: 1910 University Drive, Boise, Idaho 83725
  Description: The 3-D packaging approach offers the promise of a 
dramatic decrease in the system weight and volume, together with 
increased system performance. This project will provide funding to 
continue to develop 3-D processing techniques on silicon and LTCC 
platforms. These include technologies for die- and wafer-scale bonding 
and 3-D interconnects. These techniques will be applied to create 3-D 
integration and packaging solutions applicable to a general category of 
high performance sensor systems. The military has a need for new three-
dimensional (3-D) packaging of electronic systems, particularly sensor 
systems for portable (i.e., on-soldier) applications. 3-D integration 
and packaging of sensors will result in smaller electronics with 
expanded capability, allowing the soldier in the field to be more 
effective.
  Project Name: Accelerator-Driven Non-Destructive Testing
  Amount Received: $2,000,000
  Account: Support Systems Development Account in the Air Force RDT&E
  Recipient: Idaho State University
  Recipient's Street Address: 921 South 8th Avenue, Stop 8007, 
Pocatello, Idaho 83209
  Description: The Idaho Accelerator Center (IAC) will develop a 
research, education and commercialization program that takes non-
destructive testing techniques developed at the IAC and advances their 
development. The penetrating and non-destructive techniques that are 
under development include new techniques in positron annihilation 
spectroscopy with accelerator-based gammabeams, the use of mono-
chromatic x-ray beams and the use of photon activation (via 
photonuclear reactions) for trace element analysis of materials and 
manufacturing processes. The development of practical non-destructive 
testing (NDT) techniques will help the U.S. Air Force reduce aircraft 
downtime necessary for inspection and enhance turn-around times by more 
quickly identifying needed repairs through spectroscopy and the use of 
x-ray. The development of practical NDT techniques will be of immense 
value to the armed forces in four critical areas: quicker return of 
aircraft to the line by reducing the tear-downs necessary for 
inspection; non-destructively addressing the enormous `aging fleet' 
problem of the U.S.A.F. and the private sector; better economics by 
replacing parts on an on condition inspections basis instead of a `life 
limited' basis; and the ability to successfully apply NDT techniques to 
composite materials. Currently, no commercialized NDT technique works 
on composite materials.
  Project Name: Domestic Manufacturing of 45nm Electronics (DOME)
  Amount Received: $2,000,000
  Account: Advanced Spacecraft Technology Account in the Air Force 
RDT&E
  Recipient: American Semiconductor, Inc.
  Recipient's Street Address: 3100 South Vista Avenue, Suite 230, 
Boise, Idaho 83705
  Description: Funding for this program will deploy a new foundry 
capability to address the most critical electronics sourcing issue 
faced for secure supply of advanced DOD integrated circuits in 2012 and 
beyond. DOME is an AFRL-sponsored initiative to implement a 45nm state-
of-the-art wafer fabrication capability to meet current and future 
system requirements for fabrication of specialized integrated circuits 
in a broadly available foundry capacity to serve DOD. Microelectronics 
capability for defense applications requires advancement of technology 
for each generation of new defense system. Defense system requirements 
are often highly specialized and include capability beyond that of 
standard commercial devices due to their unique operational 
environments. An advanced and sustainable defense microelectronics 
supply solution is required that can provide parts in low volume at

[[Page E2108]]

reasonable costs and be fabricated on-shore to meet security 
requirements. This advanced process technology enables higher speed, 
lower power electronics that are of vital importance to the military 
and intelligence communities. The DOME program will deliver the 
capability to manufacture semiconductors at the most advanced 
technology node currently in production, 45nm, at an American run on-
shore facility optimized for DOD/IC business.
  Project Name: Hybrid Energy Systems Design and Testing
  Amount Received: $2,000,000
  Account: Military Engineering Advanced Technology Account in the Army 
RDT&E
  Recipient: Idaho National Laboratory
  Recipient's Street Address: 2525 Fremont Avenue, Idaho Falls, Idaho 
83415
  Description: The Hybrid Energy Systems Development and Testing 
Program will provide the Army transformational technologies that 
advance Army leadership in global energy security and carbon reduction. 
Hybrid energy concepts provided through this program could allow the 
Army to simultaneously address energy supply (electrical grid and fuel 
supply) security and surety, environmental (CO2) footprint 
reduction, and provide national economic benefits. This project will 
leverage unique assets at the INL, such as its Hybrid Testing Lab, 
engineering-scale energy test beds, supercomputing capabilities, and 
hybrid systems design teams, and nuclear technology designs, to 
develop, validate, and assess hybrid and other advanced energy system 
concepts. This program will provide a foundation for Army leadership in 
clean, smart, secure energy for future defense and nondefense 
applications.
  Project Name: Hybrid Power Generating System
  Amount Received: $2,000,000
  Account: Advanced Electronics Technologies Account in the Department 
of Defense RDT&E
  Recipient: M2E Power, Inc.
  Recipient's Street Address: 845 West McGregor Court, Suite 150, 
Boise, Idaho 83705
  Description: Research at the Idaho National Laboratory resulted in a 
breakthrough technology using compressed magnetic fields which can 
generate power. M2E Power is expanding on this research to develop high 
density generators based on breakthrough configurations of 
permanent magnetic material, coil designs and advanced power 
electronics. With further development efforts, M2E Power's technologies 
will enable lightweight, compact power sources and highly power-dense 
components that will significantly reduce the logistics burden, while 
increasing the survivability and lethality of the warfighter. The 
continued research, development, testing and validation of the 
technology should result in mission extension for dismounted soldiers 
and considerable savings by reducing the reliance on disposable 
batteries. In addition, the technology will substantially increase the 
overall efficiency of motors, generators and propulsion systems used 
defense-wide.

  Project Name: Integrated Passive Electronic Components
  Amount Received: $1,700,000
  Account: Advanced Spacecraft Technology in the Air Force RDT&E
  Recipient: University of Idaho
  Recipient's Street Address: 820 Idaho Ave., Morrill Hall 109, Moscow, 
ID 83844
  Description: Spacecraft are critical for coordinating modern military 
operations, particularly for intelligence gathering, battle-space 
communications, resource deployment (e.g. Global Positioning System), 
and targeting. More accurate and timely information enables more 
effective deployment, but requires enhanced sensing, communications and 
computing, which require more power. Limited energy sources and cooling 
capacity aboard spacecraft restrict increased processing capability. 
Power consumption has become a limiting factor in the performance 
electronic and computing technologies. Microchip designers have 
addressed rising power consumption by reducing the voltage levels of 
the power delivered to the chips, with excellent results. However, this 
creates a new problem of how to deliver clean low-voltage power to the 
chips. This research will develop the technologies to enable low-
voltage power regulation to be integrated onto the same piece of 
silicon that holds the computing circuits, thus making ultra-low-power 
microelectronics practical. The key to this technology is integrated 
passive components. In addition, this research will produce a new range 
of component options for analog circuit designers, enabling greater 
ability to program and increasing flexibility of on-board electronic 
systems.
  Project Name: Material, Design, Fabrication Solutions for Advanced 
SEAL Delivery System external structural components
  Amount Received: $2,000,000
  Account: Operations Advanced Seal Delivery System (ASDS) Development 
in the Department of Defense Research, Development, Test and Evaluation 
(RDT&E)
  Recipient: Premier Technology Inc.
  Recipient's Street Address: 1858 West Bridge Street, Blackfoot, Idaho 
83221.
  Description: Premier Technology Inc. will work with the Idaho 
National Lab, Navy PEO Submarine (PMS 399), U.S. Special Operations 
Command, Naval Special Warfare Command and the Navy Office of Naval 
Research to provide material, design and fabrication solutions for ASDS 
external structural components allowing those components to withstand 
severe hydrodynamic, hydrostatic and shock loading while maintaining 
significant resistance to corrosion in situations where the ASDS is 
attached to the submerged host submarine operating at high speeds. 
Candidate components include the host submarine pylon assembly, ASDS 
lower hatch (buttress threads) and ASDS shaft line components. The goal 
of this project is to assist the U.S. Navy in bringing ASDS to its 
fullest operational capability by addressing challenges that it faces 
in key material issues.
  Project Name: Radiation Hardened Cryogenic Read Out Integrated 
Circuits
  Amount Received: $2,000,000
  Account: Defense Production Act Purchases in Department of Defense 
Procurement
  Recipient: ON Semiconductor, Inc.
  Recipient's Street Address: 2300 Buckskin Road, Pocatello, Idaho 
83201
  Description: Readout integrated circuits (ROIC) are the foundation of 
thermal imaging systems. These systems have forever changed modern 
warfare and surveillance. The United States Air Force and the Missile 
Defense Agency have been investigating ways to improve manufacturing 
capabilities and improve cryogenic and radiation performance of these 
circuits. The thermal imagers of the future will operate in harsh 
environmental conditions for longer periods of time and will have 
increased resolution (through increased pixel count) than the detectors 
of today. Maintaining a domestic source of this technology, as well as 
working to enhance the manufacturing capabilities of this critical 
technology, are as equally important as increasing the yield. The DPA 
Title III Readout Integrated Circuit (ROIC) program will continue the 
improvement efforts to develop technology that includes a larger 
stitched die, smaller feature size (< 0.35um), improved yields, and 
reduced cycle times will enable a domestic U.S. source for ROIC 
manufacturing to meet our national defense needs.
  I appreciate the opportunity to provide a list of Congressionally-
directed projects in the report accompanying the FY2010 Defense 
Appropriations bill on behalf of Idaho and provide an explanation of my 
support for them.

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