Award Data

"ALTAIR Center proposes to develop a miniature, cost-effective fiber optic sensor array for detection of toxic heavy metal ions. The main detection principle is based on dual measurement of both absorption and fluorescence employing thin films ofporphyrin/polymer membrane. In Phase I of the project we studied the luminescence compounds and demonstrated that thin films of porphyrin-based membranes ...

"ALTAIR Center proposes to develop an innovative technology for fabrication of a micro-lens directly on the optical fiber employing a simple and efficient self-organization process of the lens formation based on Chemical Vapor Deposition (CVD). During thisprocess the micro-lens is automatically created exactly on the fiber core as a result of a chemical reaction. Geometrical parameters of the mic ...

"Quantum mechanics predicts that quantum two-level systems - quantum bits, or simply qubits - can provide fundamentally new methods of information processing due to possible existing in an arbitrary coherent superposition of quantum states. That offers anenormous gain in the use of information technology resources such as time and memory. The first qubits and quantum logic gates are now being buil ...

"There is a need for a cost-effective technology for producing III-nitride substrates for fabrication of high efficiency and high power radar transmit/receive modules, as well as opto-electronic devices. The problems with the current technology offabricating III-nitride based devices on thin films grown on foreign substrates, such as sapphire or SiC, are the plethora of defects associated with th ...

"All-optical switches capable of rapidly switching light with light are needed for missile defense in the Airborne-Laser, Space-Based Laser and Space-Based Infrared System as well as in Big Safari special mission aircraft. While the commercial and militaryusefulness of optical-electrical-optical switches for security, recognition and switching applications is well established, these devices are s ...

"Novel bio-organic/inorganic hybrid materials for use in optically addressed light modulators is proposed. Supramolecular chemistry will be used to prepare previously unknown materials for light modulation. If successful, the proposed research willimprove the speed, pixel count, resolution and contrast of spatial light modulators while simultaneously reducing their size, weight and cost. Phase ...

THE SIGNAL-TO-NOISE RATIO OF INFRARED DETECTORS INCREASES DRAMATICALLYAS THE TEMPERATURE OF THE DETECTOR IS REDUCED TO CRYOGENIC TEMPERATURES AND THERE HAS BEEN A SUBSTANTIAL IMPROVEMENT IN CRYOCOOLERS TO MEET THIS NEED. HOWEVER, VALVES OF ONE TYPE OF CRYOCOOLER, THE JOULE-THOMPSON EXPANSION CRYOCOOLER, ARE PRONE TO PLUGGING BY THE FREEZING OF IMPURITIES IN THE HIGH-PRESSURE STREAM. TO ADDRESS THI ...

"For directed energy applications such as the Airborne Laser (ABL) and other high energy laser systems, there still needs to be significant improvements in laser output power, brightness, stability, efficiency, as well as compactness and ruggedness.The proposed research will demonstrate the feasibility of a phase-locked array of fiber lasers using a proprietary technology developed in the Phase I ...

"For directed energy applications such as the Airborne Laser (ABL) and other high energy laser systems, there still needs to be significant improvements in laser output power, brightness, stability, efficiency, as well as compactness and ruggedness.The proposed research will demonstrate the feasibility of a phase-locked array of fiber lasers using a proprietary technology developed in the Phase I ...

RECHARGEABLE POWER SOURCES POSSESSING HIGH ENERGY DENSITIES, BRIEF BUTREPETITIVE HIGH CURRENT OUTPUTS, AND THOUSANDS OF DUTY CYCLES ARE REQUIRED FOR STRATEGIC DEFENSE SYSTEMS. TO ADDRESS THESE NEEDS, HIGH SURFACE AREA, THIN FILM CATHODES ARE BEING FABRICATED FOR AMBIENT TEMPERATURE LITHIUM BATTERIES. THESE CATHODES FEATURE AN ARRAY OF APPROXIMATELY L MICROMETER MICROCRYSTALLITE TIS2 PLATES ORIENTE ...