You are here

High-Gain, Avalanche Photodiode Arrays for Deep Space Optical Communications

Award Information
Agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Branch: N/A
Contract: N/A
Agency Tracking Number: 22661
Amount: $70,000.00
Phase: Phase I
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: N/A
Solicitation Number: N/A
Timeline
Solicitation Year: N/A
Award Year: 1994
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): N/A
Award End Date (Contract End Date): N/A
Small Business Information
44 Hunt Street
Watertown, MA 02172
United States
DUNS: N/A
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Gerald Entine
 (617) 926-1167
Business Contact
Phone: () -
Research Institution
N/A
Abstract

Space optical communications techniques are expected to be of great value when communicating at planetary distances. As opposed to RF systems, the high optical power concentration resulting from the small beam divergence will allow smaller diameter telescopes, less power and jam resistant communications. For deep space communications, the low optical level available for detection at the spacecraft presents challenging requirements in order to track the optical source position with extremely high accuracy. Current detection techniques do not have sufficient sensitivity at very low light levels encountered in these applications. This proposal presents a new high resolution, two-dimensional silicon avalanche photodiode focal plane array, with an internal gain higher than 108, fast time response and virtually without dead space between the sensing pixels. Phase I is designed to demonstrate the feasibility of producing high gain pixilated avalanche photodiodes by using integrated circuit planar technology. The detector is intended to be used as a acquisition/tracking detector at very low optical levels with applications in space optical communications.

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

US Flag An Official Website of the United States Government