NASA SBIR 2006 Solicitation

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
ADVR Inc
2310 University Way, Building 1-1
Bozeman, MT 59715 - 6500
(406) 522-0388

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Philip Battle
battle@advr-inc.com
2310 University Way, Building 1
Bozeman, MT 59715 - 6500
(406) 522-0388

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (Limit 2000 characters, approximately 200 words)
This SBIR Phase II effort proposes the development and integration of a Planar Lightwave Circuit (PLC) into an all fiber-based seed laser system used in high spectral resolution aerosol and cloud lidar applications. The PLC integrates a frequency doubling element, a waveguide splitter, and phase modulator into a monolithic, waveguide-based device. This technology is important for lidar systems requiring high frequency stability and accuracy. The proposed device, with the proper IR input, will generate the required visible radiation, spectrally formatted for the HSRL seed laser stabilization scheme. The PLC concept advances NASA's lidar systems due to its compact, efficient, and reliable design, thus enabling use on small aircraft and satellites. The key objective in this SBIR Phase II proposal is to develop and incorporate the PLC into a deployable, all fiber-based seed laser system for NASA-LaRC's HSRL cloud and aerosol measurements.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words)
In addition to NASA's use in various lidar systems, the PLC has applications in free space communications, metrology, spectroscopy and the medical industry. A number of medical applications such as phase-modulation fluorimetry in bioprocess and clinical monitoring may benefit from this technology. A number of commercial lidar or lidar-like systems will benefit from the insertion of the PLC. These markets, which are presently inadequately accessed, include security, defense, space, forestry, floodplain measurement, land use assessment, bathymetry, robotics and machine vision applications. As costs are reduced, a host of lidar-based applications will emerge, such as smart cruise control, lane change notification, traffic flow and robotic control. Non-lidar applications for the PLC also offer opportunities in medical imaging, therapeutic lasers, fiber optical channel switching, active Q-switching, free space communication.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words)
The primary customer is NASA Langley's High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) program for aerosol and cloud characterization. The proposed PLC will find multiple uses in other NASA's lidar remote sensing programs, such in altimetry and DIAL lidar in which a waveguide phase modulator is used to stabilize a single frequency seed laser, and also has potential application in spectroscopic measurement techniques.

NASA's technology taxonomy has been developed by the SBIR-STTR program to disseminate awareness of proposed and awarded R/R&D in the agency. It is a listing of over 100 technologies, sorted into broad categories, of interest to NASA.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING

Laser Optical Optical & Photonic Materials Photonics