Award Data

New enhancements to mobile computers including smaller sensors, displays and powerful processors have made them much more attractive for the battlefield, not only as wearable systems for soldiers, but also unattended ground sensors a warfighter can leave behind for situational awareness. Unfortunately, while the technologies for hands-free interfacing have improved greatly, the challenge of limiti ...

This SBIR Phase I proposal is aimed at the development of the ultra-sensitive detector for the far infrared (FIR) and terahertz (THz) bands of electromagnetic radiation. The device is inherently optical, operates at room temperature and of submillimeter size. The proposed technology is based on coupling the radiation to be measured to the mechanical degree of freedom of an optical microcavity and ...

In the proposed effort, we will leverage this extensive experience and capabilities to realize a frequency agile mmW radiometer that can cover the range of DC-110 GHz and can be scaled to DC-200 GHz under Phase II. Ours is a photonic system that multiplies and up-coverts a low-frequency reference signal onto an optical carrier (laser) using EO modulation, then uses the modulation sidebands to inj ...

Millimeter-wave RADAR imaging holds significant promise for many applications from rotorcraft DVE mitigation to standoff security screening. A key challenge of this imaging modality, however, has been the implementation of an effective method for creating an image without relying on either mechanical scanning or expensive, high SWAP phased array techniques. Herein, we present a concept for creat ...

As new applications arise for small gas turbine engines, the need to advance engine component technologies becomes essential, since they are required to run faster, hotter, and longer. Particularly critical in this regard are the shaft bearings. Since they operate without lubricant, air foil bearings have been identified as viable replacements to conventional liquid lubricated bearings. An adva ...

The US Army Joint Attack Munitions Systems Program Management Office (JAMS PMO) has, under topic A13-053, presented the following objective: Develop a prototype high bandwidth (>2GB/s) millimeter wave two way data link for intra-missile communications. Proposed herein is a High Bandwidth, Compact, Wireless, Millimeter Wave Intra-Missile Data Link that (1)Has bandwidth>2 Gb/s. (2) Meets reduced ...

In this program, we will develop a breakthrough technology that will enable wafer-scale epitaxial lift-off (ELO) of GaN power device heterostructures from low-dislocation-density bulk GaN substrates. This technology will be used to provide a low-cost vertical junction field effect transistors (VJFETs) with high breakdown voltage (greater than 1,200 V) and high current capability (greater than 100 ...

Accurate flow calculation is crucial to the development and support of air platforms, and CFD has been successful at predicting aerodynamic performance for a variety of flows. The accuracy of CFD is governed by the quality of the surface mesh, and much work has been undertaken to automatically generate surface grids from CAD. Unfortunately, quality is quantified in terms of conformance to the surf ...

One of the major challenges currently facing the US defense forces is the requirement to meet the electricity demands of individual soldiers in a highly mobile forward operating base. In this Phase I program, we propose to develop and deliver a lightweight, high efficiency, flexible solar sheet for mobile solar applications for Army unmounted soldiers. Based on highly efficient GaAs III-V material ...

Because of the overwhelming migration to composites, particularly exotic thermoset materials from the bismaleimide (BMI) family, the PNTS team is focusing its work on this topic on composite structures. The team's high level approach will be to demonstrate an innovative and practical design using dielectric spectroscopy at millimeter wave through terahertz frequencies that will provide compos ...