Experience

Decades of Experience

i >350 fully custom ICs

b Over 30 years of experience

jOver 15 different silicon foundries

cProcess experience ranging 60nm-1.2um

pInfrared camera development

fTest system development

BFE's design cycle from initial request to finished application solution
 

kApplications

  • IR detectors / preamplifiers / multiplexers
  • LIDAR detectors & readout
  • Laser drivers
  • Photonic counting circuits
  • Micro-power A/D and D/A converters
  • X-ray and high energy particle detectors and interface chips
  • Radiation hard versions of above
  • Image sensors (CMOS and CCD)
  • Image processors
  • Integrated liquid crystal drivers

bChip Size Extremes

  • 300um diameter die size imagers for medical applications
  • 17×19 mm2 display driver for projection displays
  • 51×25 mm2 visible/scintillator x-ray sensor (using stitching)

gSpecial Features

  • 2Ghz analog bandwidth CMOS for LIDAR range sensing
  • Single photon detection
  • 22V CMOS devices
  • Far infrared & high energy particle readout processors
  • SWIR, MWIR, LWIR

hNon-Standard processes

Unique & cutting edge applications often require specific technologies

  •  Thermopile – Micrel
  •  PiN detector – Micron Semiconductor Ltd.
  •  Rad-hard CMOS – Honeywell 0.8 SOI
  • IR Detectors – InGaAs, HgCdTe, PbSe, a-Si
  •  CCD – Supertex 1.2um

jFoundry Experience

  • TSMC 0.13um, 0.18um, 0.25um, 0.35um (includes their BCD [Bipolar, CMOS, DMOS] Power management technology)
  • Tower/Jazz 0.13um, 0.18um, 0.25um, 0.35um (Stitching, ITAR Compliant)
  • IBM (corp. site) 0.13um (ITAR Compliant)
  • Austria MicroSystems 0.35um
  • Others include: AMIS (0.5um, 1.2um), CSMC (0.6um), Fujitsu (0.25um), HP (0.35um, 0.5um), Amkor (0.35um, 0.5um), Texas Instruments (0.8um, 1um), UMC (0.4um (5V))

jMask Types

  • Full Mask Sets
  • Stitching: Enables fabrication of large dice.  A repeated exposure masking process that has its own complexities yield considerations.
  • MPW: In addition to foundry specific multi-project wafer  runs we have worked with MOSIS • Global Unichip • EUROPRACTICE.

hProcess Types & Materials

  • CMOS
  • CMOS/CCD
  • Bi-CMOS
  • BCD (Bipolar, CMOS, DMOS)
  • CMOS-SOS

dDevice Protocols/Interfaces

  • SERDES
  • USB
  • SPI
  • LVDS

fCustom Test Systems

Performance built for your specific requirements.

  • Wafer probing
  • Testing at cryogenic temperatures
  • PCB designs and interfaces using FPGA, CPLD and a variety of other components
  • Solutions for system interface problems:
    • High density interconnect
    • Non-standard packaging
    • Optics
 

Contact Us

Contact BFE

phone-iconx50 (719)593-9501

Engineering Office

Black Forest Engineering

9348 Grand Cordera Parkway Ste 200

Colorado Springs, CO 80924

 

Visiting our office?  Directions, Lodging & Activities.

BFE Office building in Colorado Springs, CO
 

About Us

The BFE Problem Solvers

Black Forest Engineering was founded in 1990 by Steve Gaalema. Named after the forest just north of Colorado Springs where it was originally located, BFE has enjoyed steady growth over the years by consistently providing realistic and capable designs to accomplish client goals.  BFE’s diverse and extensive design expertise along with industry standard verification tools facilitates designing solutions to often non-standard requirements.

Notable Projects

Ultra-lightweight LWIR Camera

Micro-Camera-Module

We have developed a long wave length infrared light weight camera module with one of our IR ROICs that uses less than 1 watt of power.  Learn more about our IR Camera development here.

Commercial LIDAR

LIDAR sensor system being developed for car automation by Luminar

With our team’s fairly recent acquisition by Luminar, our great LIDAR technology has excelled to be cutting edge and industry leading. We believe in the future of LIDAR and the future of its role in vehicle automation.

Space Tech

marspic4

Here is an image from the Mars Climate Sounder.  The device uses a NASA/JPL thermopile linear IR array and a BFE designed CMOS readout IC.  The Mars Climate Sounder was launched 8/2005 and arrived by 3/2006, and is still operating in Orbit.

Bio Tech

an early model for the BrightSpot diagnostic module

BFE developed an ultra sensitive visible light sensor to be used in a medical diagnostic device spearheaded by Prolume Ltd. and continued by Beacon Biotechnology.  The device uses bioluminescence that luminescences in the presence of up to 100 distinct potential biological markers allowing 100 tests to be done using a single sample.  LucArray is continuing the efforts to bring this technology to market.