SEMI MEMS & Sensors Industry Group Invites Proposals for Funding Positioning, Navigation and Timing Technology Advancements

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The MEMS & Sensors Industry Group (MSIG), a SEMI Technology Community, announced a Request for Proposals (RFP) for advanced technology development of positioning, navigation and timing (PNT) components and systems, including their manufacture. The full RFP document includes more information on the proposal submission process.

SEMI & MemsThe MSIG PNT program, a public-private partnership between SEMI and the U.S. Army Research Laboratory, advances PNT solutions that pinpoint the position of mobile and stationary assets, enabling their navigation in critical situations. When GPS signals are lost, current solutions in the marketplace use inertial measurement units (IMUs) to maintain positioning accuracy. However, errors over time make position determination unreliable.

SEMI MSIG anticipates announcing multiple awards to teams or U.S. organizations with a wide range of research and development (R&D) capabilities. White paper proposals are due June 20, 2025, at 5:00 pm PDT.

SEMI MSIG and the Army Research Laboratory have identified specific PNT R&D thrust areas for focus:

• Thrust Area 1: Novel Materials, Fabrication, Packaging, and Testing Techniques for Low-SWaP-C Inertial and PNT Sensors
• Thrust Area 2: Advanced Active and Passive Integrated Photonics for Low-SWaP-C Atomic Clocks and PNT Sensors
• Thrust Area 3: Advancements Towards Low-SWaP-C, GPS-Free PNT Technologies

“We invite proposals that demonstrate leading-edge innovation,” said Paul Carey, director of SEMI MSIG. “We welcome contributions from diverse teams that showcase breakthrough advancements poised to shape the future of MEMS device technology and manufacturing processes.”

Subject matter experts from the SEMI MSIG Technical Advisory and Governing Councils, as well as the U.S. Department of Defense, will evaluate, prioritize, review, and manage the proposals and their resulting projects. Funding granted by SEMI MSIG must be matched with funds in the form of cash and in-kind contributions from the grant recipient to cover total project costs. On average, the industry has covered nearly 60% of the funding for the previous PNT development projects.

The intent of the R&D funding is to continue building on phase two of the SEMI MSIG PNT program and identify new areas and approaches to PNT solutions for GPS-denied environments. Emphasis will be placed on system solutions, including but not limited to software, sensor fusion, cost-effective process innovation, advanced packaging solutions, component innovations, and disruptive materials development.

R&D may cover software, hardware, and advanced packaging requirements of optical and MEMS-based positioning and timing systems that improve bias stability and reduce sensor noise. Technical solutions will need to address the total GPS-denied problem, meeting the system-level performance necessary to advance the state of the art.