Award Data

We propose a platform for aerial environmental monitoring based on the integration of two advanced technologies for the first time: a lightweight, flying robotic platform capable of hovering and swarming, and a compact, low-power chemical sensor platform called the Molecular Property Spectrometer (MPS): a robust, low-cost, silicon-chip-based micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) that has been use ...

ABSTRACT: Due to scarcity of spectrum, Dynamic Spectrum Access (DSA) becomes a needed technology to improve the utilization of electromagnetic spectrum for DoD satellite communication. However, current DSA approaches are developed for terrestrial communications without addressing the unique challenges for SATCOM environments such as error-prone spectrum sensing, high mobility, and large coverage. ...

ABSTRACT: Coordinating and sharing information across multi-level security (MLS) networks are of great interest in many military applications. However, it is very challenging to accomplish those goals due to the heterogeneous security classifications of different network domains. The recent proposed cross-domain solutions (CDS) provide initial steps to make such applications possible. However, th ...

As infrared (IR) electo-optical sensors improve in both availability and quality a strong need exists to have comparable improvements in the performance of military obscurants within the IR band. Conventional approaches for creating effective IR obscurants have relied primarily on shaped metal particles with high aspect ratios (e.g. rods, flakes).

This project address the fabrication of solar blind detectors from the MgZnO material system. Both MBE and MOCVD material growth techniques will be used for deposition of the required material layers. Simulation software we be used to aid in the design of the photodetector structure. Devices will be fabricated from the grown structures and their electrical and optical characteristics determined.

Chemiresistors are an important class of electronic sensors that detect the presence of analytes/chemicals via a change in the resistance of a sensor element. A typical interdigitated electrode array is deposited onto an insulating substrate with metallic electrodes that have feature sizes in the 5-500 m range. The metal electrodes are typically sputter coated onto the substrate, using lithogra ...

The Army is frequently forced to operate in hostile climates. Heavy fog, rain, snow, and dust storms can inhibit the performance of tracking technologies such as mid-wave infrared cameras. In such conditions, Army early warning systems are blinded and put personnel and assets at risk. There is a specific need for a degraded visual environment (DVE) penetrative target tracking solution. Radio fre ...

Under the proposed effort, PSI will leverage a novel pmmW imaging technology developed under a prior Navy program to realize the low size, weight, and power sensors required for UAV implementation. This technology is based on an optical upconverted distributed aperture technology that can make large effective apertures in low SWaP form factors thereby maximizing achievable resolution. This sensor ...

With today's IRLED devices, >99.4% of input electrical power is converted into parasitic/waste heat. Moreover, as the local temperatures of the pixels increase due to the generated heat, IRLED optical efficiency is further reduced. Overall this severely limits the number and intensity of array pixels that can be simultaneously operated at high apparent temperatures. In Phase 2, we focus on develop ...

In this STTR effort we will develop key packaging techniques for wafer-level hybrid electrical-optical co-packaging based on silicon photonic platform. These techniques include packaging LiNbO3 modulator on insulator (LNOI), high-speed modified uni-traveling carrier (MUTC) photodiodes packaging and high-efficiency fiber coupling. Silicon is the desired host material for photonic integrated circuit ...