Award Data

Diode-Pumped Alkali Lasers (DPALs) have great potential for high-energy lasers. Proper design of these systems is challenging because many interrelated processes impact their performance, and critical kinetic rate coefficients are not well known. In response, our team is developing a comprehensive physics-based analysis/design tool, and experimentally determining key kinetic rate coefficients. The ...

This Phase II SBIR proposal addresses the requirement to significantly improve the affordability and mission performance of SDACS propulsion components by embarking on a program to develop and optimize hafnium-based or hafnium hafnium nitride claddings for advanced structural insulator substrate materials of current interest to MDA programs.Phase II partner Materials Research & Design (MR&D), Wayn ...

Future MDA space missions will utilize small spacecraft with correspondingly small, advanced sensor systems. Cooling of these sensors is required to decrease detector noise and increase detector sensitivity by maintaining the detector at a reduced operating temperature. The cooling system comprises a mechanical cryocooler and its control electronics, both of which are critical technologies to enab ...

Micro-Precision Technologies (MPT) will build, test, and deliver to military high-performance ceramic circuit card assemblies for the Throttling Divert and Attitude Control System (TDACS). Based on our commercially proven technology for ceramic-based hybrid microcircuit and multi-chip module manufacturing, we will meet the MDA requirements for increased solder toughness, reduced footprint and wei ...

The proposed Phase II R&D includes continue development of the honeycomb fabrication method developed in Phase I to assure accuracy and repeatability of the process. MENTIS then proposes to fabricate prototype honeycomb sunshades for telescopes, including those with the secondary mirrors embedded in the honeycomb matrix. Using the composite baffled sunshade developed by MENTIS, BAE will perform ...

We propose to bandgap-engineer the antimony-based Group III-V compound semiconductor material system to realize a dualband focal plane array (FPA) made up of stacked multi-barrier Type-II strained layer superlattice (SLS) photodiodes. Two longwave infrared (LWIR) spectral bands will be imaged in alternate frames by using a readout multiplexer that flips the voltage bias across the FPA from frame ...

We propose to develop a high-performance longwave infrared focal plane array (FPA) based on Type-II InAs/(In)GaSb strained-layer-superlattice (SLS) technology and deliver it packaged in a portable handheld CAMERA. In Phase 1, a matrix of recipes was designed and grown, several wafers were processed, arrays were fabricated and characterized, and material and process issues identified. In Phase 2, ...

High-performance infrared detectors are mission-critical components of each layer of the Ballistic Missile Defense System. MDA is investing heavily in technologies that enhance producibility/operability of LWIR/VLWIR infrared focal plane arrays (FPAs), and reduce BMDS life cycle costs. HgCdTe is clearly the material of choice for these IRFPAs, but presents numerous challenges, including trap-assis ...

Future missile detection systems will require improved thermal management for cooling gimbal-mounted sensors and optics. Current systems utilize cryocoolers placed on the gimbal, which necessitates the cryocooler heat to be rejected directly from the gimbal. A far superior approach in terms of payload mass would locate the warm elements of the cryocooler on the stationary platform near the space ...

Missile seekers would benefit from a focal plane array (FPA) that allowed high-speed single or multiple-windowing acquisition of the target or targets while maintaining situational awareness of the rest of the field of view. Such data reduction helps where bandwidth is limited, e.g. arrays with formats larger than 1Kx1K, allowing tracking of high-speed missiles at high frame rates. Readout multi ...