Dana Pulliam enters information before running an operation in Sandia National Laboratories’ MESA complex. The fab has begun making silicon wafers for three nuclear weapon programs in the largest production series in MESA’s history.
Sandia National Laboratories has begun making silicon wafers for three nuclear weapon modernization programs, the largest production series in the history of its Microsystems and Engineering Sciences Applications (MESA) complex.
MESA’s silicon fab in October began producing base wafers for Application-Specific Integrated Circuits for the B61-12 Life Extension Program, W88 Alteration 370 and W87 Mk21 Fuze Replacement nuclear weapons. Planning and preparation took years and involved more than 100 people.
MESA is the center of Sandia’s investment in microsystems research, development and prototyping for nuclear weapon and national security applications. The 400,000-square foot complex of cleanrooms, labs and offices is home to design, development, manufacture, integration and qualification of trusted microsystems for national security applications.
Image by Lloyd Wilson, Sandia National Laboratories