Award Data

Under this STTR Imaging Systems Technology (IST) will apply novel Plasma-shell technology and expertise with gas plasma systems to shield and protect BMDS Radar. Plasma-shells are tiny hollow gas encapsulating shells. When energy is applied across the shell, the gas inside ionizes into a plasma. Theory of plasma-electromagnetic (EM) field interaction shows that, under appropriate conditions, pl ...

Mercury Cadmium Telluride (MCT) has been described as one of the most technologically significant semiconductor materials and is the most widely used material for long wave infrared (LWIR) imaging. The current challenge is to produce MCT over large focal plane array size at low cost and high reliability without compromising sensitivity or noise performance. MCT on silicon substrates is highly attr ...

High-fidelity missile plume flowfield simulations of MDA interest require use of detailed chemical kinetic mechanisms, which significantly improve IR/UV/RCS/visible signature prediction but entail long solution runtimes for completion. These long runtimes result from the required iterative solution of large systems of stiff, non-linear chemical source terms at each CFD mesh point; this curtails t ...

Radiation Hardened Multi-color infrared (IR) focal planes are required for MDA/SMDC systems applications . Key to meeting these system requirements is to develop multi-color radiation hardened HgCdTe focal plane arrays for LWIR band ( 7-14 microns) and VLWIR band with wavelength of greater than 14 microns with high pixel uniformity, reduced readout noise, improved resolution, and higher temperatur ...

MDA is developing materials for several applications including hypersonic missiles, ma-neuvering reentry vehicles, advanced solid rocket motors, and divert and attitude control sys-tems. All of these applications employ components that must operate at temperatures above 3000°F. Viable structural materials for these conditions can be loosely grouped as graphite, ce-ramics (e.g. oxides, carbides) ...

This program will develop an appliqu"¦ based on a multi-layer film which will be conductive as well as possessing good optical properties (low ¦A, high ¦Å). The film will be designed to be highly resistant to the space environment. This white, conductive appliqu"¦ will be easily applied to most external areas of the spacecraft. The appliqu"¦ is expected to have multiple layers, each indiv ...

For missile and rockets, any accident during transportation, normal handling, routine operations, or as the result of terrorist or battle stimuli can be devastating. Most rocket motor cases are fabricated from metal alloys. Recent studies have shown that fiber-reinforced polymeric composite cases for tactical and strategic rocket motors applications can significantly enhance their performance by ...

Highly energetic chemical processes play a central role in many military and commercial applications. For example, spectral emissions from missile plumes, arising from high-velocity chemical interactions of exhaust gases with the atmosphere, are used to detect, track, and identify threat targets. Detailed, quantitative knowledge of the energy-dependent chemical reaction cross sections and rates i ...

This STTR Phase I Program will test a processing scheme for fabricating a polymer-based nanocomposite material with significant electrical conductivity for electromagnetic interference (EMI) shielding of electronic components and signal wires. The highconductivity of the nanocomposite material is introduced by a nanophase inclusion of a class of cost-effective vapor-grown carbon nanotubes. In th ...

Silicon has long been the semiconductor of choice for high-voltage power electronic applications. Recently, SiC has attracted attention because SiC is projected to have better performance than silicon. [1] SiC power switching devices have yet to becommercialized, largely due to SiC crystal defects, most notably the device-killing micropipe defect, which does not permit high total current parts t ...