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Wide-angle Non-mechanical Steering Development

Award Information
Agency: Department of Defense
Branch: Air Force
Contract: F33615-03-M-1568
Agency Tracking Number: F031-1989
Amount: $99,846.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: AF03-142
Solicitation Number: 2003.1
Timeline
Solicitation Year: 2003
Award Year: 2004
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): 2003-09-26
Award End Date (Contract End Date): 2004-09-26
Small Business Information
450 Courtney Way, Unit 107
Lafayette, CO 80026
United States
DUNS: 602673188
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 STEVE SERATI
 Principal Investigator
 (303) 604-0077
 sserati@bnonlinear.com
Business Contact
 Mark Tanner
Title: Vice President
Phone: (303) 604-0077
Email: mtanner@bnonlinear.com
Research Institution
N/A
Abstract

Development of a non-mechanical scanner for laser radar seekers is a difficult problem, because high speed, wide angle, high resolution and large aperture are competing requirements. A workable solution is to combine a few techniques to decouple the requirements. By using this approach, coarse and fine-angle steerers are combined to provide the coverage and accuracy needed for the application. The techniques proposed for the coarse and fine angle steerers have the ability to scale to large apertures, high power and provide fast response without greatly complicating the system design. The scalable beamsteering architecture makes use of liquid crystal on silicon (LCoS) assemblies, which have proven to be a very economical and manufacturable technology. In Phase I, Boulder Nonlinear Systems (BNS) will demonstrate the beamsteering concept and work with Coherent Technologies Incorporated (CTI) to integrate the technology into a staring-array laser radar seeker design. In Phase II, BNS and CTI will build and demonstrate a breadboard system. The ability to non-mechanically point an optical system is important in a variety of applications including free space optical communications, remote sensing and weapon guidance. Non-mechanical systems have the potential to be more accurate, smaller, lighter and less expensive than systems that use gimbals to position the beam. At this time, such attributes are considered benefits, but future deployment of optical systems in small airborne or space-based platforms will eventually require these improvements.

* Information listed above is at the time of submission. *

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