Award Data

Today"s high energy Q-switched Nd:YAG lasers are often pumped by stacks of multiple edge-emitting diode laser bars since the vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) traditionally have been lower in efficiency. In this effort we are proposing a novel VCSEL design which overcomes the efficiency bottleneck in conventional VCSEL while preserving its beneficial attributes such as uniform beam in ...

The Navy needs a metal cutting system for submarine and aircraft carrier hull disposal. We propose to develop a Hull Cutting Mill (HCM) to meet Navy needs. Our HCM uses a compact high-speed high-power hydraulic milling head to perform slot-milling and achieve a fast lineal speed cutting high-tensile steel with a man-handle-able machine. Our HCM uses environmentally friendly water for its hydraulic ...

LightSmyth is a US based manufacturer of high power high efficiency polarization insensitive diffraction grating using unique, cost-efficient and high fidelity manufacturing technology. Gratings are etched into fused silica substrate and contain no organics or polymers. They may be as large as 150 mm in diameter with clear aperture up to 135 mm. LightSmyth is uniquely positioned to supply Navy wit ...

Analyze a tethered VTOL system capable of carrying and maintaining the required communications relay components to at least 500 feet AGL for up to four days continuously. The VTOL and comms relay package receive power delivered using laser power from the surface vehicle over fiber optic cable and converted into electricity on-board the VTOL craft via photovoltaics. Such a system is smaller, lighte ...

The QED team proposes an Advanced Payload Handling System (APHS) capable of semi-autonomous and/or wireless remotely controlled, omni-directionally maneuvering operations. Selected design candidates will be evaluated with respect to their ability to provide an assured capability of acquiring and lifting both palletized and uniquely shaped payloads from the confines of a standard ISO container or f ...

Conventional dielectric materials for radomes and windows for supersonic/hypersonic tactical missiles exhibit a number of performance limitations including inadequate thermal shock resistance, variations in electrical (dielectric constant and loss) and structural performance (mechanical strength) with temperature, and difficulty in fabrication to the desired shape. We propose to develop high stren ...

EOSPACE proposes developing a practical, very-wide-bandwidth electrical characterization technique based on advanced photonic signal processing. The characterization method only requires a high-speed mm-wave source and uses exclusively low-speed optical detection, eliminating the need for high-speed photodiodes. This effort would build on the recent breakthroughs in ultra-wide-bandwidth electro-op ...

Modular software development helps enable application developers to quickly write sophisticated applications. However, in most instances only a small fraction of the functionality included in a particular software components is needed. Not only is there a performance cost, but the prevalence of security vulnerabilities suggests that even unused functionality in binaries and shared libraries can be ...

The objective is to develop a wideband, high-sensitivity, high RF power handling optical modulator suitable for use in low-noise microwave photonic links associated with military and commercial antenna applications. Specifically, the modulator will be designed to be highly-resistive to electromagnetic attack from high-power microwave and electromagnetic pulse sources.

nLIGHT proposes the development of a multiple spectral band laser head that is based on a vertically stacked array of single emitter laser diodes. A key design aspect of this device is that the proposed laser head is largely based on a multi-emitter pump module that is currently under commercial development at nLIGHT. The commercial laser product, upon which the proposed system will be based, has ...