For more than 35 years, Silicon Designs, Inc. (SDI) has been designing and producing durable, dependable, and precise surface mount accelerometers and modules for a wide range of inertial and defense applications.
SDI specializes in the development of industrial-grade surface mount MEMS DC accelerometers engineered to withstand harsh conditions while delivering precision, sensitivity, reliability, and affordability.
These accelerometers are specifically engineered to meet the stringent demands of military applications, including ejector seat control, hostile environment research and development, and directional navigation.
History & SBIR Awards
SDI’s journey began in the mid-1980s with a Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) award for a radiation-hardened accelerometer used in the Star Wars program.
The company went on to secure 25 additional Phase I and II awards in related fields. Today, SDI continues to provide both custom and commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) accelerometers to thousands of businesses globally, as well as to various government defense programs and research institutions.
Titles of SBIR Awards Received
- Adaptive Contact Fuze (I & II)
- Reliable Solid-State Magnetic Sensor (I)
- Digital Safe and Arm Device (I & II)
- Low-Cost Miniature Void Sensor (I)
- Low Energy Flying Plate Detonator (I & II)
- Improved Fusible Link for FASCAM Mines (I & II)
- MEMS Inertial Sensors (STTR) (I)
- Smart Tri-Axial Accelerometer Data Acquisition System (I & II)
- Safe Separation Accelerometer (I & II)
- High-Temperature MEMS Accelerometer for Geothermal Drilling (I & II)
- Electronic Retard Sensor for Bomb Fuzes (I)
- Micromachined Hard Target Accelerometer (I & II)
- Integrated Circuit for Air Flight Sensor (I)
- Miniature Initiation System Technology (MIST) (I & II)
- Miniature Rad-Hard Accelerometer for KEVs (I & II)
Total SBIR Phase I Awards: 15
Total SBIR Phase II Awards: 10
In 1997, SDI was honored with the prestigious Tibbetts Award from the Small Business Administration for its successful use of the SBIR program to drive technological innovation, promote business growth, and advance scientific and research developments.
The company’s miniature MEMS DC accelerometer technology received further recognition in 1999 when SDI was inducted into the Space Technology Hall of Fame. This acknowledgment came for successfully adapting and commercializing accelerometers, originally designed for space use, to become the preferred choice in oil & gas, automotive, and other industrial sectors on Earth.
Over the past decade, SDI has made significant advancements in accelerometer performance, particularly in areas of long-term stability for tactical-grade inertial navigation systems and high-temperature endurance up to 175°C for measurement-while-drilling applications.
