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Highly Sensitive Photon Counting Detectors for Deep Space Optical Communications

Award Information
Agency: National Aeronautics and Space Administration
Branch: N/A
Contract: NNC06CA25C
Agency Tracking Number: 042208
Amount: $599,545.00
Phase: Phase II
Program: SBIR
Solicitation Topic Code: S5.03
Solicitation Number: N/A
Timeline
Solicitation Year: 2004
Award Year: 2006
Award Start Date (Proposal Award Date): 2005-12-14
Award End Date (Contract End Date): 2006-12-14
Small Business Information
1404 Coney Island Avenue
Brooklyn, NY 11230-4120
United States
DUNS: 134248751
HUBZone Owned: No
Woman Owned: No
Socially and Economically Disadvantaged: No
Principal Investigator
 Alexander Krutov
 Principal Investigator
 (609) 638-5380
 krutov@amplificationtechnologies.com
Business Contact
 WAYNE SEEMUNGAL
Title: Business Official
Phone: (718) 951-8031
Email: wayne@amplificationtechnologies.com
Research Institution
N/A
Abstract

This project will focus on fabricating and optimizing a photodetector that utilizes the emerging technology of internal discrete amplification to create photon-counting sensitivity detectors with very high gain, ultra low noise, high quantum efficiency and GHz bandwidth for optical communications in the spectral range of 1.06 ?m to 1.6 ?m. Extensive modeling during Phase I of this project has permitted to optimize the design and develop manufacturing steps to produce such a photodetector. The detectors will have performance parameters significantly superior to those of conventional avalanche photodiodes and photomultiplier tubes to and should meet and exceed NASA stated mission goals of boosting data transfer rates by a factor of 10-100 relative to the current state of the art. The expected performance parameters include a GHz bandwidth (with a 10 GHz long term goal), gain of 10,000 to 100,000, excess noise factor less than 1.07, saturation levels greater than 50Mcounts/s (higher expected), and flexibility in the choice of active area size and shape, including the ability to create detector arrays. These new capabilities could lead to important advances in deep space and other optical communication applications.

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

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