| PROPOSAL NUMBER: | 03-E1.02-8620 (For NASA Use Only - Chron: 034385) |
| SUBTOPIC TITLE: | Lidar Remote Sensing |
| PROPOSAL TITLE: | Monolithic micro-laser with KTP ridge waveguides for injection seeding high power lasers |
SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN
(Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
ADVR Inc
910 Technology Blvd Suite K
Bozeman ,MT 59718 - 4012
(406) 522 - 0388
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER
(Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Switzer Gregg
switzer@advr-inc.com
910 Technology Blvd Suite K
Bozeman ,MT 59718 -4012
(406) 522 - 0388
U.S. Citizen or Legal Resident: Yes
TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
This NASA Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will develop a technique to greatly improve the direct coupling of a diode laser to an optical waveguide with embedded Bragg grating using no intermediate lenses. The key innovation proposed for this SBIR effort is a method for generating adiabatic tapers at the input end of optical waveguides in potassium titanyl phosphate (KTP). This innovation will significantly reduce the size, weight and complexity of the Bragg stabilized laser directly addressing NASA?s need for a compact, rugged, electrically efficient, tunable laser for injection seeding high power lasers for lidar. By injecting the output of the single-frequency, cw, seed laser source into a high power laser, such as a Q-switched Nd:YAG laser, longitudinal mode beating is eliminated that can cause random shot-to shot intensity fluctuations and excessive intra-cavity intensities that damage the internal optics in the laser cavity. The seed laser also enables high frequency stability and spectral purity from the high power host laser required by Doppler wind and atmospheric molecular lidar. A compact, robust seed laser is a critical component to extend the lifetime and achieve high frequency stability of high power laser systems used for lidar applications.
POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
The KTP Bragg stabilized seed laser will be used to enhance frequency stability, wavelength accuracy and lifetime of NASA?s high power, Q-switched Nd:YAG lasers used for ground and air based Doppler wind lidar measurements, molecular profiles and high resolution altimetry. The KTP Bragg stabilized diode technology can also be readily extended to other wavelengths useful for injection seeding fiber lasers.
POTENTIAL NON-NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (LIMIT 150 WORDS)
In addition to NASA specific applications, this the KTP Bragg stabilized diode laser technology will find use in precision spectroscopy and trace gas analysis for environmental monitoring and industrial process control.