Contracting Office Address

Other Defense Agencies, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, Contracts Management Office, 3701 North Fairfax Drive, Arlington, VA, 22203-1714, UNITED STATES

Description

INTEGRATED HIGH ENERGY DENSE CAPACITORS (IHEDC)
BAA 07-21, Addendum 3
Full Proposals Due: 4:00PM ET, May 16, 2007
TECHNICAL POC: Sharon Beermann-Curtin, DARPA/DSO
Ph: (571) 218-4935; Email: BAA07-21@darpa.mil
URL: www.darpa.mil/dso/solicitations/solicit.htm
Website Submission: http://www.sainc.com/dsobaa/

PROGRAM OBJECTIVES AND SCOPE

(Note: This BAA Addendum 3 is submitted as a Special Focus Area as described in the original BAA, 07-21.)

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) seeks proposals for innovative approaches that enable revolutionary advances in materials science and processes resulting in long life, high energy dense and high temperature capacitors for high power electrical systems. It is envisioned that new materials incorporating high permittivity together with high electric field strengths as well as innovative processing and packaging techniques will bring revolutionary operational capabilities. The IHEDC program is interested in developing new environmentally safe materials to reduce the weight and volume of high power capacitors along with novel packaging techniques that will maintain the material gains. The ultimate goal of the IHEDC program will be to provide reliable, compact capacitors tightly integrated with active power electronic components to enable prognostics, adaptability, and therefore smart capacitors. The ability to integrate active and passive power electronic components will open the design space for high power electrical systems.

The program is structured into two phases - Phase I and Phase II - with specific technical goals for each phase as noted herein. Satisfactory attainment of the goals for Phase I will be a determining factor in the decision to proceed to Phase II.

BACKGROUND

The military's direction for the future is towards more electrical weapons and platforms. To meet these high power demands requires improved passive electrical components keeping pace with technical improvements in the state-of-the-art active power electronics. Improved energy storage devices for high power electronic systems are critical to the successful implementation of pulse power as well as power conditioning applications for envisioned platforms. Current electrical system size and weight is driven by the passive components rather than the active components. This is especially true in pulse power applications, where the capacitor comprises fifty percent of the system volume.

Existing capacitors cannot meet the future platform size and weight constraints while simultaneously providing higher energy storage capability. New materials are required to both reduce the size and weight of current capacitors and to meet or exceed the stringent temperature, stress and multi-functional requirements for the next generation of military high power electrical systems. Additionally, the developed capacitor must utilize materials that are environmentally friendly, have quick discharge rates and sustain a charge for enhanced periods of time. These materials must be packaged using unique solutions that allow for an integrated power system with improved functionality and operability in confined spaces.

PROGRAM GOALS AND MILESTONES

Phase I Metrics:
Develop materials and processes required to produce capacitors with metrics as specified below. The dielectric material with a permittivity to meet the metrics must be capable of being manufactured in sufficient quantities to provide 20 single cell capacitors at the end of Phase I. The proposer must show a path forward to reliably produce the dielectric materials with properties and attributes that lend themselves to manufacturability of large areas (sheets or otherwise). It is critical that the proposer have access to a facility to produce the required 20 capacitors or team with partners that are capable of manufacturing the deliverable capacitors. Critical metrics include: high temperature, high energy density, long life, environmentally friendly materials, and quick discharge rates.

Phase I Packaged Metrics:
Energy (J): greater than 100
Energy Density (J/cc): greater than 20
Dielectric Loss (at 1 kHz): less than 0.001
Discharge Time (usec): less than 10
Voltage (kV) at operating temperature: greater than 1
Charge/Hold (hour): greater than 0.5
Lifetime (at full rating): greater than 1000 cycles
High Temperature Operation (degree C): greater than 200

Phase I Deliverables:
20 Fully Packaged Single Cell Capacitors

Phase II Metrics:
Provide further innovations on Phase I deliverables to enable scaling, higher reliability and increased operating parameters. Develop a smart capacitor through integration of active electronics into the capacitor. Examples include the ability to provide internal prognosis (temperature, capacitance, etc.) and identification of external faults allowing re-routing to nearby capacitors. The envisioned smart capacitor will open up the design space for modularity, adaptability, and recoverability in the passive components with capability of todays active components. The design should utilize the capacitor as a building block, thus eliminating over-designed power electronic structures and interconnects, alleviating the use of additional thermal management.

Phase II Packaged Metrics:
Energy (J): greater than 400
Energy Density (J/cc): greater than 20
Dielectric Loss (at 1 kHz): less than 0.001
Discharge Time (usec): less than 10
Voltage (kV) at operating temperature: greater than 1
Charge/Hold (hour): greater than 1
Lifetime (at full rating): 10000 cycles
High Temperature Operation (degree C): greater than 200
Integration of Active Power Electronics into Capacitors

Phase II Deliverables:
20 Fully Packaged and Integrated Capacitors

PROPOSAL PROCESS

Proposal Submission and Deadlines
Proposals may be submitted and received at any time until the final proposal deadline of 4:00PM ET, Wednesday, May 16, 2007. Proposals will be evaluated against the criteria set forth in BAA 07-21, and the proposer will be notified either that: (1) the proposal has been selected for funding, or (2) the proposal has not been selected for funding. Proposers may elect to have their proposal withdrawn from consideration at any time during the evaluation process. If a formal request is not made, DARPA will assume that continued evaluation is desired. One copy only of each proposal that is not selected for funding will be retained in DSO files for one year after the signing of the last instrument resulting from this BAA.

The government reserves the right to select for award all, some, or none of the proposals received in response to this announcement. The government also reserves the right to fund proposals in phases with options for continued work at the end of one or more of the phases. Proposals identified for funding may result in a procurement contract, grant, cooperative agreement, or "Other Transaction," depending upon the nature of the work proposed, the required degree of interaction between parties, and other factors. The proposer must submit a separate list of all technical data or computer software that will be furnished to the government with other than unlimited rights (see DFARS Part 227).

Full Proposal Submission Guidelines
As described in BAA 07-21, full proposals shall consist of two volumes: Technical and Cost. Follow the general guidelines for full proposal format and content provided at: http://www.darpa.mil/baa/BAA07-21pt2.html.

The technical section of the full proposal must include:
1) Description of the vision to integrate active components within a high energy dense capacitor including a description of the envisioned enabling capabilities that will be provided at the system level.
2) Concise explanation of approach to develop the dielectric material being proposed. If more than one material is proposed, include a metrics-based explanation of how the material downselect will be made. Material parameters should include the morphology that needs to be achieved and a chart of material expected attributes (e.g., permittivity, voltage breakdown, temperature, etc.).
3) Description of approach to achieve metallization of electrodes and numerical prediction of the expected capacitor properties due to the packaging that will be employed to achieve required energy densities.
4) A detailed research plan with calculations including experimental measurement procedures for dielectrics and packaged capacitor.
5) Detailed explanation of the electrode and packaging processes to achieve energy densities and active electronics integrations at required temperatures.
6) A quad chart that outlines the vision, approach, and enabling military capabilities of the effort.
7) Quantified technical and schedule milestones and deliverables for Phase I and for Phase II.

OTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION FOR PROPOSAL SUBMISSION

Teaming and Team Composition
Teaming is encouraged, especially when interdisciplinary approaches to a problem are required. Proposals may include, or be led by, foreign firms and/or personnel provided all export control laws and U.S. national security requirements are adhered to in the conduct of the effort and that the work relating to the foreign firm or personnel is unclassified. The onus of understanding and complying with export control rests with the proposer, not the government.

Evaluation of Proposals
Evaluation of the proposals will be in accordance with BAA 07-21. For general administrative questions, please refer to the original FEDBIZOPPS solicitation, BAA07-21, of February 14, 2007: http://www.darpa.mil/dso/solicitations/solicit.htm

Web Address for Proposal Submission: http://www.sainc.com/dsobaa/.
Address for Proposal Submission:
DARPA/DSO
ATTN: BAA 07-21, Addendum 3, Sharon Beermann-Curtin
3701 North Fairfax Drive
Arlington, VA 22203-1714

General Information
In all correspondence, reference BAA 07-21, Addendum 3.

Technical Point of Contact
Sharon Beermann-Curtin, Program Manager, DSO; Phone: (571) 218-4935; Email: Sharon.Beermann-Curtin@darpa.mil



Original Point of Contact

Barbara McQuiston, Deputy Director, DSO, Phone 703-526-4759, Fax 703-248-1916, Email Barbara.McQuiston@darpa.mil

Current Point of Contact

Sharon Beermann-Curtin, Program Manager-MTO, Phone 571-218-4935, Fax 703-696-2206, Email sharon.beerman-curtin@darpa.mil - Anthony Cicala, Contracting Officer, Phone (571)218-4639, Fax (703)248-1927, Email anthony.cicala@darpa.mil