Award Data

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 ...

The Missile Defense Agency is searching for innovative technologies to implement in future interceptor missiles and kill vehicles that will produce weight savings within the systems. To answer this need, Touchstone Research Laboratory proposes to develop fiber reinforced aluminum (FRA) metal matrix composite components to replace those that were originally made from Ti-6-4. The FRA is able to reta ...

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 ...

Next-generation missile defense systems will utilize infrared sensing technologies that will require efficient cooling at low temperatures. We propose to develop an innovative solid-state cryocooler that can provide cooling at temperatures below 35 K while rejecting heat at temperatures up to about 300 K. The cooler uses compact, efficient electrochemical compressors with no moving parts to enha ...

Reserve lithium oxyhalide and silver/zinc batteries are power sources of choice for many missiles and other weapons systems. These batteries achieve long shelf life by storing the liquid electrolyte separately in a reservoir. Upon activation, the electrolyte is rapidly injected into the battery cells, most often using a pyrotechnic gas generator. The design of the system and the diagnosis of pe ...

This proposal addresses the requirement to significantly improve the affordability, maintainability and performance of KKV DACS components. Exothermics and their Phase 1 partner Southern Research Institute will endeavor to increase the performance, lower the cost and enhance the technical property characteristics of SDACS and hypersonic components by examining the use of a new class of ultrahigh t ...

We propose to experimentally investigate MOCVD (Metal Organic Chemical Vapor Deposition) as a technique for growing high-quality Type-II InAs/(In)GaSb SLS (Strained Layer Superlattice) photodiode epi material. In collaboration with the University of Maryland, our goal is to grow, process, and measure longwave infrared detector material and devices and compare them to identical MBE (Molecular Beam ...

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) has identified a need to reduce weight and improve manufacturability to insure cost effectiveness for structural components of its missile interceptors. Touchstone Research Laboratory, Ltd. (Touchstone) and San Diego Composites (SDC) have teamed to combine their respective tooling and composite materials technologies to achieve this goal. Touchstone has developed a ...

Spire Semiconductor proposes a novel MOCVD growth scheme that will substantially reduce the production costs of inverted multi-junction solar cells. Incorporating quantum well structures will be investigated as a means to improve device efficiency and end of life cell performance in the space environment. The theoretical target efficiency is 39.8% under the AM0 spectrum.

Dark current plays an essential role in the performance of LWIR InAs/GaSb SL-based FPAs. Previous improvements in material quality and device design have significantly suppressed bulk contributions to the dark current. The dark current due to surface defects becomes prominent with decreasing detector size, as in the case of high-resolution FPAs. Furthermore, for LWIR FPA with very small band gap e ...