EMCORE Announces New SDI170 Quartz MEMS Tactical Grade Inertial Measurement Unit for Replacement of Legacy Ring Laser Gyro Products

ALHAMBRA, CA, April 28, 2021 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EMCORE Corporation (Nasdaq: EMKR), a leading provider of advanced mixed-signal products that serve the aerospace & defense and broadband communications markets, announced today the introduction of its new SDI170 Quartz MEMS (Micro-Electromechanical Systems) Tactical Grade Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU) designed as a form, fit, and function compatible replacement for the HG1700-AG58 Ring Laser Gyroscope (RLG) IMU, but with superior overall performance, versatility, and a significantly higher MTBF (Mean Time Before Failure) rating over ruggedized environments.

EMCORE’s SDI170 IMU is ideal for continuous use applications with no wear-out components and delivers highly linear accelerometer performance and longer life compared to the HG1700 IMU. It is non-ITAR (International Traffic in Arms Regulations) controlled and has completed extensive internal and external customer testing to confirm compatibility to replace legacy products. The unit is designed for a wide range of high-precision, integrated commercial and defense applications including aircraft AHRS (Attitude Heading Reference Systems), GPS-aided navigation, ground surveying, mobile mapping, ROVs, autonomous vehicles, tactical weapons, and stabilization platforms.

“The introduction of the SDI170 IMU marks a significant milestone in the industry and for EMCORE. Now customers everywhere in the world have sourcing options for this widely used tactical performance package,” said David Hoyh, EMCORE’s Director of Sales & Marketing for navigation products. “The SDI170 IMU enables us to deliver higher performance at lower cost to the market in a form-factor and electrical interface that is a seamless replacement for an older technology legacy RLG IMU,” added Mr. Hoyh.

EMCORE’s SDI170 IMU performs in highly dynamic ±1,074 deg/sec and ±50 G standard (±70 G optional) linear acceleration conditions and delivers 1°/hr gyro bias and 1 mg accelerometer bias stability with very low 0.02°/√hr Angle Random Walk (ARW) over a wide -55 °C to +85 °C temperature range in vibration environments. The ARW performance of the SDI170 is 5X better than the legacy RLG IMU it is designed to replace, and its tactical performance is based on the dependable, accurate quartz MEMS inertial sensor technology in EMCORE’s SDI500 tactical grade IMU¹. EMCORE’s quartz technology enables repeatable high-volume production of precisely machined sensor structures combined with the inherent large signal output and thermal stability of quartz materials.