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Advanced weapon sighting systems fabricated with FemtoWrite and FemtoEtch processes

Award Information
Agency: Department of Defense
Branch: Army
Contract: W15QKN-10-C-0119
Agency Tracking Number: A2-4115
Amount: $729,988.00
Phase: Phase II
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: A09-030
Solicitation Number: 2009.2
Timeline
Solicitation Year: 2009
Award Year: 2010
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): 2010-09-30
Award End Date (Contract End Date): 2012-09-30
Small Business Information
655 Phoenix Drive
Ann Arbor, MI -
United States
DUNS: 103627316
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Philippe Bado
 CTO
 (734) 528-6330
 pbado@translume.com
Business Contact
 Eric Jacobson
Title: Vice-President
Phone: (734) 528-6371
Email: ericjacobson@translume.com
Research Institution
N/A
Abstract

The Army has a need for better weapon sight reticles. Currently, weapon sight reticles are fabricated only on flat glass surfaces. These flat surfaces produce unwanted retro-reflections. During Phase I Translume demonstrated a femtosecond-laser based process to fabricate subsurface reticles in the bulk of flat or curved glass substrates. Subsurface reticles have much lower retroreflection than traditional reticles. Numerous prototypes were produced. We showed that we could locally change the index of refraction of the glass, thus creating features that can guide, or diffract light propagating through the glass. We also created scattering features that block or diffract light. The intensity of the scattering can be controlled over a large dynamic range. During Phase II we will employ these manufacturing processes to fabricate low reflectivity, high contrast, aberration-corrected, embedded reticles for the Leupold Mark 4 3.5-10x40mm Rifle Scope, which is used on the M110 7.62mm Semi-Automatic Sniper System (SASS). We will fabricate reticles embedded in flat substrates as well as in curved substrates. These reticles will be extensively tested. Their optical performances will be characterized and they will be compared to the present Leupold design. Pyrotechnic testing will be conducted.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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