NASA STTR 2010 Solicitation

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN (SBC):		RESEARCH INSTITUTION (RI):
NAME:	ADVR, Inc.	NAME:	Montana State University
STREET:	2310 University Way, Bldg. 1-1	STREET:	PO Box 172470, 309 Montana Hall
CITY:	Bozeman	CITY:	Bozeman
STATE/ZIP:	MT  59715 - 6504	STATE/ZIP:	MT  59717 - 2470
PHONE:	(406) 522-0388	PHONE:	(406) 994-2381

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Justin Todd Hawthorne
hawthorne@advr-inc.com
2310 University Way, Building #1-1
Bozeman, MT 59715 - 6504
(406) 522-0388

Estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at beginning and end of contract:
Begin: 3
End: 4

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (Limit 2000 characters, approximately 200 words)
The Goal of this STTR is to develop a high speed, high power, waveguide based modulator (phase and amplitude) and investigate its use as a pulse slicer. The key innovation in this effort is the use of potassium titanyl phosphate (KTP) waveguides making the high power, polarization based waveguide amplitude modulator possible. Furthermore because it is fabricated in KTP, the waveguide component will withstand high optical power and have a significantly higher rf modulation figure-of-merit (FOM) relative to lithium niobate.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words)
This device should benefit various NASA recommended earth science decadal (http://decadal.gsfc.nasa.gov/index.html) missions for use in Lidar applications such as the ACE, LIST and DESDynI NASA programs. NASA has a need for low loss, high power waveguide based electro-optic devices for many missions including the Light Interferometer Space Antenna (LISA) Mission, the NASA High Spectral Resolution Lidar (HSRL) program, which requires the use of fiber pigtailed modulators and wavelength doublers to stabilize seed laser system for eventual satellite operation, the NASA Tropospheric Wind Lidar Technology Experiment (TWiLiTE) program which needs efficient, high power frequency conversion modules for ultra-violet (UV) generation and the Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment-2(GRACE-2) NASA/JPL, which wants robust, high power, integrated, laser stabilization components.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words)
Nonlinear waveguides are playing an increasingly important role in photonics applications, some of which include microwave photonics, up conversion, infrared detection, IR generation, and bio-photonics. Additional markets that can utilize high power, low loss, electro-optically efficient components are free space telecommunications, remote sensing, precision spectroscopy, interferometry and frequency metrology. The low loss, integrated planar lightwave circuit technology advanced in a high power handling NLO material will result in wide commercial applications for a host of watt class waveguide based photonic components previously unavailable on the commercial market.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING (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.)

Health Monitoring & Sensing (see also Sensors) Lasers (Communication) Lasers (Cutting & Welding) Lasers (Ladar/Lidar) Lasers (Machining/Materials Processing) Lasers (Measuring/Sensing) Lasers (Medical Imaging) Materials & Structures (including Optoelectronics) Medical Optical/Photonic (see also Photonics) Prototyping Transmitters/Receivers Waveguides/Optical Fiber (see also Optics)