Award Data

Fiber lasers have emerged as a promising technology for future high energy laser (HEL) weapons systems, having demonstrated single mode, CW operation at 10kW power level and high electrical to optical conversion efficiency (>25%). However, commercial fiber lasers are not practical for beam combining to obtain the higher power (100kW) levels required for future weapons systems without sacrificing ...

A versatile and portable instrument for stray light detection and diagnosis at both visible and infrared wavelengths will be designed, built, and demonstrated. The core idea of the proposed approach is to use subaperture, rather than full aperture, illumination for stray light detection. The subaperture approach uses a scanning pencil beam (SPB) that provides information about the location of a s ...

This SBIR project will address the combined effects of aerothermal heating, rain erosion, and moisture and gas diffusion on the degradation of interceptor missile radomes designed for hypersonic travel. A novel method of protecting hypersonic interceptor missiles from the rigors experienced at velocities several times the speed of sound is proposed. The technology is based on the conversion of a ...

In this Phase II SBIR project, Advanced Cooling Technologies, Inc. (ACT) and Northrop Grumman (NGC) will develop an advanced refrigeration system capable of cooling the Airborne Laser (ABL). The ABL presents some particularly difficult thermal management issues, including precise temperature control, rapid transients and high thermal loading. In the Phase I effort, an innovative compact heat excha ...

The AEgis Technologies Group proposes to develop a robust modular ocean radiance model with FLITES as the primary focus for integration. The associated phenomenology of the ocean under various conditions has been identified for the implementation of first order principles. Other factors considered include runtime performance and flexibility to seamlessly interface with other computer codes for bo ...

Aerius Photonics is proposing to develop high-power Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers (VCSELs) and arrays on 4” substrates with an integrated thermal management approach to improve the thermal performance on an entirely wafer-level manufacturing compatible process. This is critical as waste heat and wafer-scale manufacturing approaches are driving factors for performance and costs in a la ...

Aerius Photonics proposes to develop photon-counting, linear-mode detection, active imaging focal plane arrays (FPAs) with photoresponse from 0.4 to 2.5 μm wavelength (VIS-NIR-SWIR) by inserting their Broadwave™ photodetector material into an Avalanche Photodiode (APD) structure. In Phase I Aerius will demonstrate the feasibility of the approach by fabricating APD arrays and test structures wit ...

Aerius Photonics plans to develop cost-effective focal plane arrays (FPAs) based on InAs/GaSb strained layer superlattice (SLS) structures for long-wavelength infrared (LWIR) wavelength applications. Presently, the majority of arrays are fabricated in academic or laboratory environments. Building on their expertise in building large InGaAs arrays, Aerius will develop wafer processes that are str ...

Aerius Photonics proposes to develop fiber laser pump blocks and modules based on Vertical-Cavity Surface Emitting Laser (VCSEL) arrays which can have a manufacturing cost ten times lower than the existing Edge Emitting Laser (EEL) technology. Aerius will demonstrate and deliver high efficiency VCSEL array blocks and modules emitting at 808 nm and 940 nm wavelength. These blocks and modules can be ...

The goal of this program is to develop nanosacle electronics and packaging technology that is hardened to space and nuclear radiation. Vanderbilt will assist AET in the development of packaging technologies for lateral emission-based diamond devices characterized for temperature insensitivity and radiation hardness. A laterally configured diamond emission device can offer significant advantages ...