Navy chooses rugged glass axial lead PIN diodes for sensors and electronics from Aeroflex

Dec. 2, 2013
CRANE, Ind., 2 Dec. 2013. U.S. Navy experts needed glass axial lead PIN diodes for sensors, electronics, electronic warfare, and special warfare weapons. They found their solution from Aeroflex/Metelics in Londonderry, N.H.
CRANE, Ind., 2 Dec. 2013. U.S. Navy experts needed glass axial lead PIN diodes for sensors, electronics, electronic warfare (EW), and special warfare weapons. They found their solution from Aeroflex/Metelics in Londonderry, N.H.

Officials of the Naval Surface Warfare Center Crane Division (NSWC Crane) in Crane, Ind., have announced their intention to buy between 11,000 and 106,000 MMP7034 fast-switching low-power PIN diodes from Aeroflex/Metelics in a five-year contract. The value of the contract has yet to be negotiated.

PIN diodes are suitable for attenuators, fast switches, photodetectors, and high-voltage power electronics applications. NSWC Crane provides engineering and technical support for sensors, electronics, electronic warfare, and special warfare weapons.

NSWC officials will award an indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity (IDIQ) contract sole-source to Aeroflex/Metelics because the company is the only source of the diodes, and no other supplies or services will satisfy agency requirements, NSWC officials say.

Aeroflex is the original equipment manufacturer (OEM) of these diodes, and NSWC officials need electronic parts that meet exact form, fit, and function replacement part for existing equipment.

The Aeroflex/Metelics MMP-7000 series PIN diodes are manufactured using very high resistivity silicon epitaxial material grown on a highly doped low resistivity substrate, Aeroflex officials say.

Combined with a grown junction P++ layer, MMP-7000 series PIN diodes yield a very abrupt structured “I” region with minimum outdoping and low voltage punch-through characteristics.

The high-temperature passivation and metallization produce diodes that are designed to cover a wide range of military and space applications in switching, phase switching, attenuating and limiting. The parts operate in temperatures from -55 to 150 degrees Celsius.

Companies whose leaders believe they can offer alternative PIN diodes appropriate for NSWC Crane may contact the Navy's Pamela Ryan by phone at 812-854-8849, or by email at [email protected].

More information is online at https://www.fbo.gov/spg/DON/NAVSEA/N00164/N0016414RGR51/listing.html.

About the Author

John Keller | Editor

John Keller is editor-in-chief of Military & Aerospace Electronics magazine, which provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronic and optoelectronic technologies in military, space, and commercial aviation applications. A member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since the magazine's founding in 1989, Mr. Keller took over as chief editor in 1995.

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