2009 Issue 1 - Raytheon

Feature
Continued from page 21
concept, it became clear that the ideal
device to absorb ambient energy and disrupt
the radar was indeed a variation of the
quantum dot used in the conceptual QuIP
super-processor. A single quantum tunnel
diode could be used as an energy harvester
and allow for remote on/off control.
Importantly, this functionality could be
packed into microelectronic chips small
enough to be used as the pigment in a
fog generator.
To prove out the notional idea, some
archived samples of quantum tunnel diodes
were tested in the Raytheon Space and
Airborne Systems APC Innovation Center
using an in-place probe station, light
source, signal generator, and spectrum analyzer.
As conjectured, injecting energy into
the diode generated a DC voltage that
charged up an on-chip capacitor. When this
power was removed, the voltage dropped
ENGINEERING PROFILE
Peter Gould
SAS Engineering Vice President
and Chief Engineer
“Solutions that cost less, that are
simpler to build and are more
reliable for our customers … all
of this opens up when we start
looking at problems in new ways,”
according to Peter Gould, Space
and Airborne Systems vice
president for Engineering and
chief engineer.
Throughout his career, Gould has
seen the connections between creative
innovations and business
wins. Gould was actively involved
22 2009 ISSUE 1 RAYTHEON TECHNOLOGY TODAY
to a level that caused the diode to spontaneously
oscillate. This experiment provided
the confidence needed to engage with
potential customers, one of whom was
keenly interested.
Playing in the Innovation Sandbox
This project would have lain dormant if
there hadn’t been an innovation lab with
equipment available to go in and test the
concept. Resonant tunneling diodes (RTDs)
that were more than 10 years old were
used to show that the concept worked.
These parts had been sitting in a dry-box in
the innovation lab for a long time and by
most accounts should have been thrown
away. The RTDs were never designed to be
used this way, but they solved an important
problem in an unintended fashion. There are
many more technological gems populating
Raytheon’s innovation labs just waiting for
someone to find a new way of using them.
in capturing new business such
as the X-Band Radar, Terminal
High Altitude Area Defense, Joint
Land Attack Cruise Missile
Defense Elevated Netted Sensor
System, and SPY-3 Multi-
Function Radar. He was also
responsible for providing program
support on the Seasparrow and
MILSTAR programs.
“Sometimes we need to have a
different way of looking at a problem
and come up with a totally
different solution in order to be
competitive,” he said.
Offering an example of an especially
effective innovation he’s
seen in his career, Gould, a 33year
Raytheon veteran, describes
working on the mechanical design
of the Ground Based Radar
Theater Missile Defense antenna.
He and his team used liquidcooled
assemblies to cool the
transmit/receive (T/R) modules
on the antenna; the assemblies
used blind-mate fluid couplings to
connect to the antenna. Because of
the size of the antenna, there were
thousands of blind-mate fluid
couplings buried within the structure
when assembled. The system
was going to be used in a tactical
environment where it would be
subject to road shock and vibration,
so ensuring a leak-free
assembly was essential.
This was challenging, though,
as using the liquid coolant was
the only way they had of cooling
the plates. “We were in a trap,”
Gould said.
While attending a technical presentation,
Gould saw that there
might be a new way of dealing
with this problem. He said that at
the presentation, “They demonstrated
pyrolytic graphite sandwiched
between aluminum sheets
as a heat transfer mechanism.” He
thought this technology might
work for cooling the T/R modules
in an antenna application.
It is important to note that none of these
ideas arose in response to a well-defined
customer requirement, but rather fell out of
free thinking about how to solve multiple
big-picture problems. With this in mind,
engineers should try to frame their own
problems and not wait for someone to
define the problem or the solution space.
One person’s kinetic kill vehicle seeker is
another person’s can of electronic fog.
Rubik’s Cube is a registered trademark
of Seven Town Ltd.
Brandon Pillans
b-pillans@raytheon.com
Contributor: Gary Frazier
Gould was a department manager
at the time, and he and his team
studied the potential of this
solution, acquired some funding,
and ultimately came up with a
solution that worked: a dry fit
assembly that didn’t require the
use of fluid.
This technology was ultimately
used in the mechanical architecture
for the winning approach for
the SPY-3 radar. Gould emphasized
that looking beyond the
standard way of doing things
opened up a whole new approach
that he and his team were able to
turn into a competitive advantage.
“This is now the backbone of how
large-surface active aperture
antennas are built.”
Gould’s commitment to innovation
continues. “We have to always
be looking at different ways of
solving what appears to be the
same old problem.”