You are here

New Rare-Earth-Doped Glasses for Planar Waveguide Lasers & Amplifiers

Award Information
Agency: Department of Defense
Branch: Missile Defense Agency
Contract: DASG60-98-C-0039
Agency Tracking Number: 43960
Amount: $485,000.00
Phase: Phase II
Program: STTR
Solicitation Topic Code: MDA96-T002
Solicitation Number: N/A
Timeline
Solicitation Year: 1996
Award Year: 2005
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): 1998-02-05
Award End Date (Contract End Date): 2001-02-06
Small Business Information
100 Marshland Rd.
Hilton Head, SC 29926
United States
DUNS: N/A
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 John Myers
 (843) 681-5800
 jd@kigre.com
Business Contact
 Michael Myers
Phone: (843) 681-5800
Email: kigreinc@cs.com
Research Institution
 UNIV. OF ARIZONA
 Nasser Peyghambarian
 
Optical Science
Tucson, AZ 85721
United States

 (520) 621-6997
 Nonprofit College or University
Abstract

This STTR Phase II project continues the development of a new glass (designated MM-i) for ion-exchange glass waveguides and amplifiers used in l.55 um optical communication systems. There is excellent commercial potential for these glass materials and the waveguide lasers (lossless splitters) and optical amplifiers that may be fabricated from them. To date, development efforts in the communications industry have been primarily restricted to Silicate and Fluoride materials. The optical amplifier and "splitter" combinations produced with these materials are large, inefficient, cumbersome, and cost tens of thousands of dollars. Phosphate glass materials readily produce multiple wavelength outputs without the limitations of gain, stark levels, chemical durability, and up- conversion noise exhibited by the Fluoride and Silicate optical materials. This is important in the future fiber-to-the-home (FTTH) and fiber-to-the-curb (FTTC) communications networks. The future belongs to inexpensive miniature optical circuits or integrated monolithic "lossless" (optical amplifier) splitters and WDM components manufactured from phosphate glass. Designs based upon phosphate glass will result in optical network components with compact sizes, low costs, and better performance.

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

US Flag An Official Website of the United States Government