CREST was jointly set up by DSO and NTU in 2001 to design and build Singapore's first experimental micro-satellite.

Targeted for launch in 2009, the X-SAT micro-satellite's primary mission is for remote sensing. Equipped with an electro-optical instrument, the X-SAT is capable of performing imaging operation and downloading imagery data within the same orbital pass (in a quasi real-time fashion).

Since 1995, DSO and NTU have been building up indigenous capability in the design and fabrication of Monolithic Microwave Integrated Circuits (MMICs), a key enabling technology for defence applications.

The partnership has seen the successful design of a wide range of high-performance MMICs to meet local demands, such as for sensor and communication systems. Our design and fabrication capabilities achieved for the development of MMICs are comparable to that achieved in other countries.

In 2005, the MMIC Design Centre (MDC) was set up in Temasek Laboratories@NTU, with the aim to transit R&D findings into system applications via MMIC prototyping.

Set up in 2006 through a partnership between DSO and NTU, and with support from DSTA and A*STAR, EMERL spearheads national research in the areas of Electromagnetic Interference (EMI) and Electromagnetic Compatibility (EMC), as well as provides state-of-the-art facilities for all aspects of EMI and EMC work for both military and civilian applications.

With the constant push for more power in sophisticated military platforms and increasingly heavy reliance on electronics in our daily lives, EMERL is enabling the development of new tools and designs for electromagnetically compatible electronic systems.

Through the Substrate and Micro-Packaging Research for Industry and Military Applications (SµPRIMA) consortium, DSO has been working with the Singapore Institute of Manufacturing Technologies, Institute for Infocomm Research and NUS to provide a one-stop LTCC design and fabrication service. As part of our efforts, DSO developed a comprehensive design library kit for the consortium.

With LTCC, very high frequency circuit boards can be designed and produced that will allow resistors, capacitors and inductors to be densely embedded into its inner layers, significantly reducing the size of circuit boards. The indigenous development of this high frequency and high density technological capability will enable DSO to create more advanced miniaturised defence applications for the SAF.

Since 2003, DSO and Nanyang Polytechnic (NYP) have been collaborating to conduct research into developing advanced technologies to meet emerging challenges in the high-speed digital electronics industry.

This joint effort saw the creation of the Innovation Centre for Application Specific Integrated Circuits (iCASIC).

A key focus of the partnership is to conduct R&D into even smaller-sized chips with enhanced performance and lower power usage, so as to meet the increasing need for technologies in smaller operational platforms.