Integration Of Electronic Systems Research Articles

Largely improved thermal conductivity of PI/BNNS nanocomposites obtained by constructing a 3D BNNS network and filling it with AgNW as the thermally conductive bridges

Polyimide (PI) is an essential substrate or packaging material for various electronic devices. The decreased packaging size and high integration in electronic systems have caused the issue of heat accumulation issue. However, the intrinsic low thermal conductivity of PI cannot meet the requirements of certain electronic systems. Herein, we report a facile and effective approach to fabricating highly thermally conductive polyimide (PI)-based composites by constructing 3D nanofiller segregated networks in the matrix and realizing reduced interfacial thermal resistance between adjacent nanofillers. First, a water-soluble poly(amic acid) tertiary amine salt was utilized as a surfactant to facilitate the dispersion of hydrophobic boron nitride nanosheets (BNNS) in aqueous phase. Then, a combination of the ice-templating strategy and a hot-pressing treatment was applied to control the oriented distribution of BNNS, and the silver nanowires (AgNW) were incorporated and acted as “thermally conductive bridges”, resulting in an obvious decrease of thermal interfacial resistance and forming an interconnected thermally conductive expressway. Thus, a significant improvement in the thermal conductivity was achieved. The resultant nanocomposite with 20 wt% BNNS-AgNW exhibited an in-plane thermal conductivity of 4.75 W m−1 K−1, corresponding to a thermal conductivity enhancement of 324%, which is much superior to those of the pure PI and the random distribution composites. These nanocomposites present an excellent electrically insulation property and good dielectric behavior as well as improved dimensional stability. This facile methodology is believed to afford PI-based materials broad application potential used as thermal interface materials in next generation electronic devices.

A first-principles theoretical study of the electronic and optical properties of twisted bilayer GaN structures

Gallium nitride (GaN) is a well-investigated material that is applied in many advanced power electronic and optoelectronic devices due to its wide bandgap. However, derivatives of its monolayer form, such as bilayer structures, have rarely been reported. We study herein the electronic and optical properties of GaN bilayer structures that are rotated in the plane at several optimized angles by using the density functional theory method. To maintain the structural stability and use a small cell size, the twisting angles of the GaN bilayer structures are optimized to be 27.8°, 38.2°, and 46.8° using the crystal matching theory. The band-structure analysis reveals that the bandgap is wider for the twisted structures compared with the nontwisted case. The simulation results provide the absorption coefficient, extinction coefficient, reflectivity, and refractive index at these angles. The spectra of all these optical properties match with the bandgap values. The simulated refractive index of the bilayer structures at all the twisting angles including 0° is smaller than that of bulk GaN, indicating a reduced scattering loss for optoelectronics applications. Considering the results of this analysis, the possible applications may include low-loss integrated electronic and optical devices and systems.

Aerosol Jet Printed WSe2 Crossbar Architecture Device on Kapton With Dual Functionality as Resistive Memory and Photosensor for Flexible System Integration

We report on a room temperature Aerosol Jet printed two-terminal WSe2 crossbar architecture device on flexible substrate that achieves dual functionality of both a resistive random access memory (ReRAM), as well as a photosensor. As a ReRAM, the silver contacted WSe2 device exhibits forming free, sub 1-V switching voltage, and an on-off ratio of 2 orders. Furthermore, the WSe2 ReRAM exhibits both volatile and non-volatile switching behavior with a transition set current of ${2}~\mu \text{A}$ , translating to a low operating power of ${16}~\mu \text{W}$ . As a photosensor with the same architecture, the transparent CNT electrodes contacted device allows incident light to pass through for photocurrent generation. The two terminals device allows photo sensitivity to be tuned by bias application. In such mode, a maximum photo responsivity of 1 A/W at a visible light wavelength of 660 nm is exhibited by the device at a bias of 1 V, allowing weak light signals to be amplified. In both cases, the WSe2 device retains its functionality even after bending down to a radius of 5 cm. The fabrication process can be up-scaled and has great potential to be used for conformal electronics system integration.

An observational study of system-level changes to improve the recording of very brief advice for smoking cessation in an inpatient mental health setting

BackgroundSmoking prevalence among people with psychosis remains high. Providing Very Brief Advice (VBA) comprising: i) ASK, identifying a patient’s smoking status ii) ADVISE, advising on the best way to stop and iii) ACT (OFFER), offering a referral to specialist smoking cessation support, increases quit attempts in the general population. We assessed whether system-level changes in a UK mental health organisation improved the recording of the provision of ASK, ADVISE, ACT (OFFER) and consent to referral to specialist smoking cessation support (ACT (CONSENT)).MethodsWe conducted a study using a regression discontinuity design in four psychiatric hospitals with patients who received treatment from an inpatient psychosis service over 52 months (May 2012–September 2016). The system-level changes to facilitate the provision of VBA comprised: A) financially incentivising recording smoking status and offer of support (ASK and ACT (OFFER)); B) introduction of a comprehensive smoke-free policy; C) enhancements to the patient electronic healthcare record (EHCR) which included C1) a temporary form to record the financial incentivisation of ASK and ACT (OFFER) C2) amendments to how VBA was recorded in the EHCR and C3) the integration of a new electronic national referral system in the EHCR. The recording of ASK, ADVISE, ACT (OFFER/CONSENT) were extracted using a de-identified psychiatric case register.ResultsThere were 8976 admissions of 5434 unique individuals during the study period. Following A) financial incentive, the odds of recording ASK increased (OR: 1.56, 95%CI: 1.24–1.95). Following B) comprehensive smoke-free policy, the odds of recording ADVICE increased (OR: 3.36, 95%CI: 1.39–8.13). Following C1) temporary recording form, the odds of recording ASK (OR:1.99, 95%CI:1.59–2.48) and recording ACT (OFFER) increased (OR: 4.22, 95%CI: 2.51–7.12). Following C3) electronic referral system, the odds of recording ASK (OR:1.79, 95%CI: 1.31–2.43) and ACT (OFFER; OR: 1.09, 95%CI: 0.59–1.99) increased. There was no change in recording VBA outcomes following C2) amendments to VBA recording.ConclusionsFinancial incentives and the recording of incentivised outcomes, the comprehensive smoke-free policy, and the electronic referral system, were associated with increases in recording individual VBA elements, but other changes to the EHCR were not. System-level changes may facilitate staff recording of VBA provision in mental health settings.

A project to improve awareness for cyber security in smart textile applications

The textile and clothing industry is facing structural changes and will enter into the interdisciplinary market of Smart Textiles. This market has a high market potential, but there is also plenty new challenges. That is why our project systematically investigates the integration and IT security of electronic communication systems in textile products. The main objectives are the scientific investigation of the area of IT security of smart textile products, the transfer of existing security concepts as well as the development of secur innovative prototypes. Based on the knowledge gained, guidelines for further action are deduced and courses for the textile and clothing industry will be created, ensuring an intensive multidisciplinary and cross- industry know-how transfer. This challenge is to be solved by an interdisciplinary team of scientists and companies from the fields of textile and clothing as well as information technology.

Effects of car electronics penetration, integration and downsizing on their recycling potentials

Abstract Car electronics form an extensive yet untapped source for secondary critical raw materials. To seize their recycling potentials it is imperative to understand how the number and volumes of car electric and electronic (EE) devices are affected by trends in: i) car typology, ii) penetration and integration of automobile electronic control systems (AECS), and iii) unit mass of EE devices. We used a layered dynamic material flow analysis (MFA) incorporating comprehensive data series to analyze the aforementioned trends and their influence on end-of-life mass flows of two automobile EE devices in Switzerland over the period 1975 to 2015. We found that there has been an increased penetration of the EE devices coinciding with a replacement of unifunctional devices by multifunctional ones (integration) and a decrease in their unit mass (downsizing). Both penetration and unit mass changed most rapidly in the 1990s and have flattened after the year 2000. Penetration outweighed integration and downsizing, so that before stabilizing, it caused a rapid increase in the mass flows of the EE devices. Due to the long lifetime of cars, changes in penetration, integration and downsizing are still evident at the end-of-life flows, but can be expected to slow down considerably between 2015 and 2025. The results demonstrate that monitoring of the trends at the car inflow, in combination with a dynamic MFA, can be used to anticipate changes in end-of-life flows 10–20 years before they occur and to timely inform recycling policies.

Foreword: Special Section on Advanced Packaging, Materials, Processing, and Reliability: Cutting-Edge Solutions for High-Density Wafer-/Panel-Level and Thin, Flexible, Mobile Packages

This special section is built from the selected work initially presented at the 7th Electronics System-Integration Technology Conference (ESTC), a premier biannual European scientific conference event in the field of microelectronics packaging and system integration, held on September 18–20, 2018, at the Westin Bellevue Hotel in Dresden, Germany, co-sponsored and co-organized by the IEEE Electronics Packaging Society (EPS). This year, ESTC 2020 will be held on September in Vestfold, Norway. ESTC aims to attract new and original contend contributions and to support authors in the publication process. Therefore, ESTC is very grateful to the IEEE Transactions On Components, Packaging, And Manufacturing Technology (CPMT) Editor, Ravi Mahajan, and to EPS Executive Director Denise Manning, who enabled such an additional extended publication process. Selected ESTC 2018 conference contributions, identified by the technical program committees and by the votes of the audience, have been peer-reviewed for publication as significantly extended versions in this special section of the IEEE EPS CPMT journal. The following articles cover advanced packaging, materials, processing, and reliability topics toward cutting-edge solutions for high-density wafer-/panel-level as well as thin, flexible, mobile packages.

Study on ion transport mechanism in ultrathin electrolyte membrane for low temperature operation of solid oxide fuel cell

At the Centre for Innovative Integrated Electronic Systems (CIES) at Tohoku University, Japan, Professor Masaaki Niwa is exploring the science and technology of CoFeB/MgO/CoFeB based p-MTJ stack for STT-MRAM. 'My research is focusing on elucidation of interface structure of ultra-thin MgO barrier including failure analysis by means of advanced physical analyses such as transmission electron microscope, electron tomography as well as Synchrotron radiation experiments,' outlines Niwa. He explains that the MgO barrier used for p-MTJ is a tunnel barrier, and also points out that the gate dielectric film of a MOSFET is also a well-known typical tunnel barrier. 'I have been engaged in R&D of the gate stack of advanced CMOSFETs for many years while working at Panasonic,' he highlights. This involved the development of surface/interface control and reliability physics of the ultra-thin gate dielectric. 'This is unique because a person with the background of the MRAM and CMOS tries to elucidate the charge transfer mechanism in the ionic bonding ultrathin electrolyte film used for SOFC, which is the typical electrochemical phenomenon,' he explains. 'An important element of our work involves exploring the potential of SOFCs, which are energy conversion devices that produce electricity by electrochemically combining a fuel and an oxidant across an ionic conducting oxide electrolyte.' Niwa believes that SOFCs could hold the key to helping overcome serious energy and environmental problems as they boast high efficiency and are environmentally friendly.

Time modulated array sideband suppression for joint radar-communications system based on the differential evolution algorithm

To satisfy the need of electronic system integration in civil and military, and mitigate the tension of spectrum resource, the demand for coexistence of radar and communication systems is increasing rapidly. As an important branch of radar-communications integration, the time modulated array (TMA) based coexistence method has been proposed recently. The TMA has an inherent drawback that there are many undesired sideband signals generated simultaneously. However, the existing TMA sideband suppression algorithms do not suit the radar-communications integration scenarios. In this paper, a time modulated array sideband suppression method for joint radar-communications system based on the differential evolution (DE) algorithm is proposed. We first introduce some facts of the time modulated array. Then, the radar-communication coexistence strategy is presented, and the form of integration signal is derived. Moreover, combined with a positive and negative alternating periodic modulation function, the TMA sideband suppression for radar-communications coexistence scenarios based on the DE algorithm is proposed. The sideband patterns of the TMA can be significantly lowered by optimizing the opening and closing moments of each element. Finally, the validity of the theoretical derivations is demonstrated via simulations.

Implementing a sustainable medication reconciliation process in Australian hospitals: The World Health Organization High 5s project.

Medication reconciliation (medrec) is a mandated patient safety strategy by national, including Australian, accreditation bodies. Yet there are no validated performance measures. To determine the feasibility of implementing the World Health Organization (WHO) Medrec Standard Operating Protocol (SOP) in a range of Australian acute care facilities to achieve measurable and sustainable reductions in medication discrepancies occurring at admission. A multicentre, prospective national study was conducted in ten academic, urban and regional hospitals to implement the SOP using WHO High 5s project and quality improvement methodology. Sites collected data on the rate of medrec performed within 24 h of admission in a random selection of 50 patients aged ≥65 years admitted via the emergency department, monthly for four years. Medrec quality was reviewed in a subset of 30 patients using three performance measures. Barriers, enablers and benefits of SOP implementation were collected using qualitative surveys. Ten health services reviewed 42,003 patient records. Of these, 20,162 (49.5%) had medicines reconciled within 24 h of admission. Four services increased, two decreased, and in four, medrec completion rates remained static. Mean number of unintentional and undocumented intentional medication discrepancies per patient decreased: 0.21 to 0.16 (p = 0.001) and 0.34 to 0.08 (p = 0.003), respectively. Unintentional discrepancies decreased from 15.2% to 11.1% (p = 0.001). Barriers to full implementation included: medrec not seen as a priority, limited resources and lack of electronic systems integration. Enablers included: use of medrec measures for feedback, educational resources, and 7-day week clinical pharmacy services. Benefits included improvements in medication safety culture and multidisciplinary teamwork. The WHO SOP was feasible, although challenging, to implement in a range of acute health services, and produced measureable and sustainable improvements in medicines information accuracy on admission. Sustaining the quantum of quality and timely medrec requires investment in pharmacist resources and electronic systems integration.

Problems of development of non-banking payment systems in Ukraine

Introduction. The development of non-cash payments is the key to economic growth in any country, because on the one hand, the level of control over payments increases, and on the other - the volume of customer spending increases, which leads to increased consumption and GDP growth. However, current trends in e-commerce and online commerce require the emergence of new technological solutions in the form of electronic payment systems that can legally handle transactions with electronic money and cryptocurrencies. Given the rapid pace of growth in transactions through non-banking electronic payment systems, the issue of identifying obstacles to the development of such payment systems is urgent, especially in view of the need to ensure effective oversight of payments and the deduction of payments. Purpose. The study of the main problems of development of non-banking payment systems in Ukraine in terms of their structural features and importance for the development of the national economy, as well as the development of recommendations for improving the right regulation of payment transactions with electronic money and cryptocurrencies. Results. The features of the development of non-bank payment systems in Ukraine are investigated. The author classification of non-bank payment systems is offered. The main directions of development of electronic payment systems in Ukraine are identified and the obstacles to the integration of international electronic payment systems providing cryptocurrency payment services are highlighted. Measures to improve domestic legislation in the field of electronic payment and cryptocurrency based electronic payment systems are proposed, as well as recommendations on the creation of a state non-banking electronic payment system using blockchain technology to increase transparency and public procurement payments paying taxes.

Ultrahigh‐Working‐Frequency Embedded Supercapacitors with 1T Phase MoSe2 Nanosheets for System‐in‐Package Application

AbstractCommercial aluminium electrolyte capacitors (AECs) are too large for integration in future highly integrated electronic systems. Supercapacitors, in comparison, possess a much higher capacitance per unit volume and can be embedded as passive capacitors to address such challenges in electronics scaling. However, the slow frequency response (<101 Hz) typical of supercapacitors is a major hurdle to their practical application. Here, it is demonstrated that 1T‐phase MoSe2 nanosheets obtained by laser‐induced phase transformation can be used as an electrode material in embedded micro‐supercapacitors. The metallic nature of MoSe2 nanosheet‐based electrodes provides excellent electron‐ and ion‐transport properties, which leads to an unprecedented high‐frequency response (up to 104 Hz) and cycle stability (up to 106 cycles) when integrated in supercapacitors, and their power density can be ten times higher than that of commercial AECs. Furthermore, fabrication processes of the present device are fully compatible with system‐in‐package device manufacturing to meet stringent specifications for the size of embedded components. The present research represents a critical step forward in in‐package and on‐chip applications of electrolytic capacitors.

Highly flexible, foldable, and rollable microsupercapacitors on an ultrathin polyimide substrate with high power density

The design and functionality of extremely flexible, foldable, and rollable microsupercapacitors (MSCs) with in-plane interdigital electrodes that consist of single-walled carbon nanotube (SWCNT) networks on an ultrathin polyimide substrate are demonstrated through experiments and finite element simulations. The all-solid-state MSCs can be reversibly bent, folded, and rolled purely elastically without degradation of their electrical performance. The simulation results confirm that the deformation in bent, folded, and rolled MSCs is purely elastic. The high power density (1125 W cm–3) and small time constant (1 ms) of the present MSCs are comparable to those of aluminum electrolytic capacitors. The MSCs operate at scan rates of up to 1000 V s–1, are characterized by a volumetric capacitance of 18 F cm–3 and an energy density of 1.6 mWh cm–3, and exhibit superior electrochemical stability with 96% capacity retention even after 100,000 charge/discharge cycles. The developed MSCs demonstrate high potential for integration in flexible and wearable electronic systems.

Joint radar-communications design based on time modulated array

The demand for coexistence of radar and communication systems is increasing rapidly in recent years. In this paper, we propose a joint radar-communications design based on time modulated array (TMA) to satisfy the need of electronic system integration in civil and military, and mitigate the tension of spectrum resource. First, we investigate the basic characteristics of the TMA. Then, we present a TMA-based waveform design algorithm for joint radar-communications. By using the derived results, a dual-function radar-communication (DFRC) system is established, which can detect targets in a large scanning range and maintain the communication direction static simultaneously, while avoiding the mutual interference. Moreover, the communication direction can be adjusted easily as needed. The validity of the theoretical derivations is demonstrated via simulations.

Prototype readout system for a multi Mpixels UV single-photon imaging detector capable of space flight operation

Our collaboration works on the development of a large aperture, high resolution, UV single-photon imaging detector, funded through NASA's Strategic Astrophysics Technology (SAT) program. The detector uses a microchannel plate for charge multiplication, and orthogonal cross strip (XS) anodes for charge readout. Our target is to make an advancement in the technology readiness level (TRL), which enables real scale prototypes to be tested for future NASA missions. The baseline detector has an aperture of 50×50 mm and requires 160 low-noise charge-sensitive channels, in order to extrapolate the incoming photon position with a spatial resolution of about 20 μm FWHM. Technologies involving space flight require highly integrated electronic systems operating at very low power. We have designed two ASICs which enable the construction of such readout system. First, a charge sensitive amplifier (CSAv3) ASIC provides an equivalent noise charge (ENC) of around 600 e−, and a baseline gain of 10 mV/fC. The second, a Giga Sample per Second (GSPS) ASIC, called HalfGRAPH, is a 12-bit analog to digital converter. Its architecture is based on waveform sampling capacitor arrays and has about 8 μs of analog storage memory per channel. Both chips encapsulate 16 measurement channels. Using these chips, a small scale prototype readout system has been constructed on a FPGA Mezzanine Board (FMC), equipped with 32 measurement channels for system evaluation. We describe the construction of HalfGRAPH ASIC, detector's readout system concept and obtained results from the prototype system. As part of the space flight qualification, these chips were irradiated with a Cobalt gamma-ray source, to verify functional operation under ionizing radiation exposure.

State of the Art and Emerging Trends in Additive Manufacturing: From Multi-Material processes to 3D printed Electronics

Additive manufacturing is considered a disruptive technology that is expected to revolutionize production technology and affect value chains on a global scale. The scope of accessible materials ranges from polymers to metals and ceramics as well as composites. The keynote will provide an overview of available manufacturing processes for the various material groups and discuss the specific advantages of additive manufacturing – e.g. realization of complex geometries, part count and assembly effort reduction, art-to-part approach - in view of selected applications and production scenarios. Further to this, selected emerging trends in additive manufacturing will be presented and discussed, including fabrication of composites, hybrid structures, multi-material techniques and associated promises with respect to local tailoring of material properties, and the integration of sensors and/or electronic systems in AM parts.

Research on DC/DC phase‐shifted full‐bridge converter system identification

As a power electronic converter, DC/DC converter plays a pivotal role in power electronic system. By measuring G -parameter frequency data, people can extract information to identify the converter, building two-port ‘black-box’ model, thereby improving system-level simulation and analysis. Paper takes the 270–28 V DC/DC phase-shifted full-bridge converter of multi-electric aircraft distributed power supply system as study object, implements hardware design of the converter with high performance of loop and respond, and verificating the design by Saber simulation. Paper analysis ways of measuring converter's frequency response, considering injection strength of disturbance signal and interaction of subsystem, paper gives advices that experimenter should add input filter and use constant current source load. Base on Levy method, paper calculates corresponding G -parameter transfer function of converter by Matlab, builds ‘black-box’ model, then verifies the result by Matlab time domain simulation. Paper's research results will have great impact on the integration and optimisation of power electronic systems.

Exploring the implementation of an electronic record into a maternity unit: a qualitative study using Normalisation Process Theory

BackgroundTo explore the benefits, barriers and disadvantages of implementing an electronic record system (ERS). The extent that the system has become ‘normalised’ into routine practice was also explored.MethodsQualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with 19 members of NHS staff who represented a variety of staff groups (doctors, midwives of different grades, health care assistants) and wards within a maternity unit at a NHS teaching hospital. Interviews were conducted during the first year of the phased implementation of ERS and were analysed thematically. The four mechanisms of Normalisation Process Theory (NPT) (coherence, cognitive participation, collective action and reflexive monitoring) were adapted for use within the study and provided a theoretical framework to interpret the study’s findings.ResultsCoherence (participants’ understanding of why the ERS has been implemented) was mixed – whilst those involved in ERS implementation anticipated advantages such as improved access to information; the majority were unclear why the ERS was introduced. Participants’ willingness to engage with and invest time into the ERS (cognitive participation) depended on the amount of training and support they received and their willingness to change from paper to electronic records. Collective action (the extent the ERS was used) may be influenced by whether participants perceived there to be benefits associated with the system. Whilst some individuals reported benefits such as improved legibility of records, others felt benefits were yet to emerge. The parallel use of paper and the lack of integration of electronic systems within and between the trust and other healthcare organisations hindered ERS use. When appraising the ERS (reflexive monitoring) participants perceived the system to negatively impact the patient-clinician relationship, time and patient safety.ConclusionsDespite expectations that the ERS would have a number of advantages, its implementation was perceived to have a range of disadvantages and only a limited number of ‘clinical benefits’. The study highlights the complexity of implementing electronic systems and the associated longevity before they can become ‘embedded’ into routine practice. Through the identification of barriers to the employment of electronic systems this process could be streamlined with the avoidance of any potential detriment to clinical services.

Electronics design and system integration of the ATLAS New Small Wheels

The upgrades of the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN and the experiments in 2019/20 and 2024/26 will allow to increase the instantaneous luminosity to L=2× 1034 cm−2s−1 and L=5−7× 1034 cm−2s−1, respectively. For the High Luminosity (HL) HL-LHC phase, the expected mean number of interactions per bunch crossing will be 55 at L=2× 1034 cm−2s−1 and 140 at L=5× 1034 cm−2s−1. This increase drastically impacts the ATLAS trigger system and trigger rates. For the ATLAS Muon Spectrometer, a replacement of the innermost endcap stations, the so-called ``Small Wheels", which are operating in a magnetic field, is therefore planned for 2019/20 to be able to maintain a low pT threshold for single muons and excellent tracking capability in the HL-LHC regime. The New Small Wheels will feature two new detector technologies: resistive Micromegas and small strip Thin Gap Chambers comprising a system of 2.4 million readout channels. Both detector technologies will provide trigger and tracking primitives fully compliant with the post-2026 HL-LHC operation. To allow for some safety margin, the design studies assume a maximum instantaneous luminosity of L=7× 1034 cm−2s−1, 200 pile-up events, trigger rates of 1 MHz at Level-0 and 400 KHz at Level-1. A radiation dose of 1700 Gy (innermost radius) is expected. The on-detector electronics will be implemented on some 8000 boards; four different custom ASICs will be used. The large number of readout channels, high speed output data rate, harsh radiation and magnetic environment, small available space, poor access and low power consumption all impose great challenges for the system design. The overall design and first results from integration of the electronics in a vertical slice test will be presented.

Experimental investigation of the external lightning protection of ships through impulse voltage tests on a scaled‐down ship model

The impacts of a lightning strike are amplified in an environment with special features such as a ship electric grid, especially within the extended integration of electronic systems. In most marine regulations, lightning protection specifications are inadequate in the cases of metallic vessels, regarding the necessity of installing lightning rods and the method for the definition of their protection zone and subsequently of their height. Therefore, impulse voltage experiments on a scaled-down ship model were conducted in order to acquire interception probability distributions of its superstructures and to assess the accuracy of various protection zone models, established for isolated rods, on the given complex topology of a ship. The experimental results highlighted the overestimation of the protection zone even by the well-established rolling sphere model for negative polarity impulses depending on the geometrical conditions and the satisfying performance of statistical models that incorporate proximity effects and lightning interception probability.