In the News
In addition to his role at Ozark, CEO Matt Francis is also giving back by serving on the Board of Directors of IEEE, the largest technical professional organization in the world. As a 501c3 with over 460,000 members, IEEE is dedicated to advancing technology for the benefit of humanity. Matt serves as the 2024-2025 Director for IEEE Region 5, the US Southwest, where he has had the opportunity to promote educational, technical and policy initiatives and support the professional growth of technical professionals throughout the US and the world. We are excited to see the continued impact of his efforts and fellow volunteers in shaping the next generation of technical professionals and innovators. https://spectrum.ieee.org/ieee-bod-sept-2024
We are looking forward to contributing to the discussions at the IEEE-USA Packaging Chips with CHIPS Summit. It’s an exciting opportunity to engage with leading experts in the field and explore the latest advancements in packaging to support semiconductor manufacturing at both the technical and policy level and to collaborate on innovative solutions to continue to drive the industry forward. https://chips.ieeeusa.org/pcwc-2024/
The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has announced selections totaling $142 million for 123 small business projects for research in multiple areas, including clean energy and decarbonization. We are thrilled to share that the Geothermal Technologies Office (GTO) has selected Ozark Integrated Circuits, Inc. for a grant of $1.1 million to advance our work on high-temperature flow rate instruments for geothermal reservoir monitoring using the Ozark IC eXtreme Node® (or XNode®) single board computer, which can operate in the extreme conditions experienced in Energy exploration, Aerospace, Space Exploration, and Industrial Controls. This project tackles the challenges of increasing reliability and functionality of high temperature electronics, specifically in fracture zone management. A big step forward in geothermal technology! Read the full press release from the Geothermal Technologies Office at https://content.govdelivery.com/accounts/USEERE/bulletins/3b2cea9
Join us at TETS for an exciting Ozark IC showcase! Stop by our booth in the Exhibit Hall where we’ll be demonstrating our latest XNode innovations. And don’t miss Ozark IC Engineer Brandon Dyer, on Thursday, September 12 during the Electrical Machines – Motors/Generators workshop. He’ll be sharing insights from Ozark IC’s latest engine testing of 350°C XNodes® at his 9:10am session. Can’t wait to see you there! https://tets.us/
Ozark IC CEO, Dr. A. Matt Francis, will speak at the IEEE National Aerospace and Electronics Conference on Wednesday, July 17, 2024. In his 8am session titled “Extending the Limits: Computing and Advanced Electronics at High Temperature,” Dr. Francis will discuss the latest advancements in advanced packaging for silicon and silicon-carbide semiconductors, introducing new system tradeoffs within the temperature range of 200 to 800C. https://attend.ieee.org/naecon-2024/
Ozark IC will be at the IEEE MTT-S International Microwave Symposium on Sunday, June 16. During the morning workshop, “Operating at the Extreme: RFIC Design Techniques for Operation Beyond the PDK Limits,” CEO Matt Francis will present a tutorial on the Design of Electronics at High Temperature, addressing the challenges and opportunities for design in emerging technologies in electronics operating about 150C. We hope to see you there. https://ims-ieee.org/technical-program/workshops?date=2024-06-16
Developing a new sensor, component, or system is complicated. While modeling and simulation inform your design, there is no substitute for a prototype tested in the relevant environment. To get there, Ozark IC is lowering the barrier to your system feasibility questions in Extreme Environments using unique additive technology. Featured recently in Advancing Microelectronics, our quick turn (QT) systems can go from idea to test in as little as 24 hours – a true game changer for rugged electronics. Learn more in the Power and High Temp issue of Advancing Microelectronics magazine: https://imaps.org/page/Advancing-Microelectronics-Magazine
A 6-member team, led by Ozark IC, has been selected for a DARPA HOTS award to develop an 800ºC electronic pressure sensing system that will raise the system performance by a factor of 1000 over existing solutions FAYETTEVILLE, ARKANSAS April 2024 – A 6-member team led by Ozark Integrated Circuits Inc. (Ozark IC) in Fayetteville, AR, has been selected for a $10.9M, three-year DARPA HOTS award. The award will allow the team to develop a high-speed (1 MHz), high-temperature (up to 800ºC) electronic pressure sensing system – which represents orders of magnitude speed increase over the current state-of-the art. DARPA’s HOTS (High Operational Temperature Sensors) Program https://www.darpa.mil/news-events/2023-05-12 is a premier program with its major aim to “develop microelectronic sensor technologies capable of high-bandwidth, high-dynamic-range sensing at extreme temperatures” which are critical for emerging high-speed aerospace systems, especially hypersonic flight systems. The Proposer’s Day, held on May 31, 2023, in Washington, DC, attracted about 130 attendees. The HOTS program consists of three significant and simultaneous challenges, each of them extremely difficult on their own: operation at 2 orders-of-magnitude better performance over the state-of-the-art at the very high temperature of 800⁰C without thermal management and a short development time (3 years) to create it. The aggressive timeline put a significant emphasis on the use of existing capabilities rather than long-term research. The team developed a unique and complex approach to meet all three challenges – consistent with DARPA’s mission “to make pivotal investments in breakthrough technologies for national security”. https://www.darpa.mil/about-us/mission The Ozark IC team consists of: Ozark IC RTX (Raytheon Technologies Research Center and Raytheon Advanced Technology) GE Aerospace Research Center (GEA) IC2 (Interdisciplinary Consulting Corp) NASA Glenn Research Center (NASA GRC) US Naval Research Laboratory (NRL) Ozark IC, as program lead, is managing the system integration as well as electronics design, process integration and extreme environment packaging. Ozark IC will work closely with its partners who will provide the high-speed pressure sensor (IC2), the fabrication of the devices and integrated circuits (RTX, GEA), and specialized materials and characterization (NASA, NRL). Significance of the Project: The HOTS program, like many DARPA programs, aims to advance the state of the art: not incrementally, but by orders of magnitude. The Ozark IC solution, referred to as SPOTS (Single-chip Pressure-Sensor on Thermally-Hardened SiC:GaN) advances the state of the art by combining the ruggedness of NASA Glenn pioneered silicon carbide (SiC) chip technology with the high-performance of gallium nitride (GaN) and other advanced materials. This marks a new era in high-temperature (HT) electronics and integration methods, at the semiconductor level, where very high frequency performance is made possible through utilizing new materials in a manufacturable way – from analog to RF and digital. The effect of this technology will be revolutionary in a wide range of applications and markets, not just the DoD and hypersonic applications: Jet engines can be lighter, smaller and better maintained Engines (ships, tanks, cars, etc.) can be lighter, smaller and better maintained Energy exploration can work deeper and hotter Next-generation nuclear reactors can be safer and better maintained and monitored These are just some of the benefits. A whole new, safer high-temperature world awaits. Dr. A. Matt Francis, CEO and Founder of Ozark IC, said, “In many ways this project is the culmination of over a decade of work at Ozark IC and at our partners to open up new frontiers for electronics. We are naturally thrilled with this award, and we are very grateful to DARPA for the faith they have shown in this amazing team. The support we have received from the team members, and others, has been overwhelming and is greatly appreciated. This is the largest award Ozark IC has received in its 13-year history and we are naturally looking forward to this project and see great things happening as a result.” Arkansas Secretary of Commerce Hugh McDonald, said “This award demonstrates that Arkansas companies compete at the highest level in advancing the state of the art. We build some of the most advanced aerospace, aviation and defense products in the US, and the advanced electronics being developed by Ozark IC and its partners can enable the next generations.” Congressman Steve Womack (AR-3) said, “Ozark IC’s leadership in putting this team together and winning this ground-breaking award is an excellent example of the innovative research happening in the Third District. The technology they are developing will greatly impact jet and hypersonic engine capabilities. This award reflects the importance of these revolutionary systems. It’s great to see these organizations, large and small businesses, and government laboratories coming together to build this research and development partnership in the Natural State.” Dr. David Mills, President of IC2, said, “The HOTS program is the next logical step for our high-performance pressure sensors – an integrated platform for ultra-high-temperature, miniaturized sensors and electronics. This will open up new applications and markets for us, and we’re very excited to be part of the Ozark IC team!” Colin Whelan, President of Advanced Technology at Raytheon, said, “Extreme temperature condition sensing is critical to the operation of military and commercial aircraft. Jet engine and hypersonic vehicle’s operating temperatures well-exceed the capability of today’s sensors in vital locations. In partnership with Ozark IC, RTX is leveraging our enterprise-wide expertise and our III/V semiconductor foundry to develop sensors that deliver accurate state-of-health monitoring and enable closed-loop system control for improved fuel efficiency, operability and lethality.” Stacey Kennerly, Technology Manager, Semiconductors, GE Aerospace Research, said, “We’re thrilled to be partnering with Ozark IC to develop the next generation of high temperature electronics to support defense needs and transform the future of flight. As we look to advance hypersonic propulsion and push the boundaries of space exploration, we will need the kind of ruggedized sensors and electronics that the DARPA HOTS program is driving.” About Ozark Integrated Circuits Inc. Ozark Integrated Circuits, Inc (Fayetteville, AR) was founded in 2011. Ozark IC’s mission is to “digitize” the next frontiers – extreme environments that are very hot or cold, with extreme …
The Energy Venture Day and Pitch Competition co-hosted by Rice Alliance for Technology and Entrepreneurship, Houston Energy Transition Initiative (HETI), and TEX-E is an exciting, fast-paced event that brings together 40+ energy ventures with investors, corporations, and the energy community. We were selected as a participating energy venture and look forward to sharing more about our company. You have two opportunities to see our pitch. At CERAWeek, join us on March 20th in the Innovation Agora. On 3/19, see us at the Ion Houston for the Pitch Preview (free to attend). For more info and to register: alliance.rice.edu/evd
Ozark IC is excited to be selected to participate in the DARPA Disruptors Summit and Showcase at this year’s Defense TechConnect Summit, Nov 28 and 29 in Washington, DC. Come by and see a live demo of our XNode® technology developed in part with DARPA support. https://events.techconnect.org/DTCFall/program.html#detailed