02 Apr 2001
Ref: 053/2001
BAE Systems Avionics is recruiting at two sites, Plymouth and Southampton. Plymouth has 60 vacancies and is looking for research engineers, design engineers (electronic, mechanical, systems), and operation, business development and supply chain managers.
The Southampton site wants to recruit 18 people, including research and development engineers and technicians with materials/science backgrounds (photolithography, thin films), senior electronics engineers and also manufacturing staff.
BAE Systems at Plymouth is a world leader in the design and fabrication of Micro-Electro-Mechanical-Systems (MEMS) inertial sensor products. The Silicon Vibrating Structure Gyro (SiVSG) is a state-of-the-art, micro-machined, planar ring, rate sensor that is used in a wide range of automotive, commercial and aerospace applications.
Demand for the product is such that a second facility is now needed and significant orders have already been received, including a requirement for in excess of five million devices for an automotive advanced-braking application. Automotive applications of this device include vehicle dynamic control, rollover sensing and in-car navigation systems. The company is investing in a SiVSG manufacturing facility which is due to go into production in 2002. Recruitment of engineering and technical staff to support the growing business at the Plymouth site has already commenced.
BAE Systems is also making a major investment in a new 400m2, class 100 clean room at its Southampton site to manufacture un-cooled, pyroelectric, thermal imaging arrays, using integrated circuit fabrication and micro-machining technology. The new facility will house both production and development activities to ensure rapid and smooth transfer of development projects to production. A 384 x 288 array, based on a Lead Scandium Tantalate (PST) microbolometer technology, is currently being developed as part of a dual-use technology programme with the Defence Evaluation and Research Agency (DERA), Malvern and will be produced in this facility. The Lightweight Infrared Observation Nightsight (LION), currently in volume manufacture, uses a 256 x 128 hybrid ferroelectric array at its core to provide a compact, lightweight imaging system.
The company currently runs the un-cooled thermal imaging array wafer fabrication activity in its facility near Northampton. This will transfer to the new Southampton facility in summer this year and it will be the largest and most modern facility in Europe dedicated to un-cooled thermal imaging.
