Pulsed High-power Laser Accelerators to Study radiation Hardening (PHLASH)
SBIR Opportunity Analysis
DARPA is seeking SBIR Phase II work for PHLASH to advance a compact laser-plasma accelerator approach for studying radiation hardening in space microelectronics. The effort calls for Direct to Phase II proposals that design and build a prototype scalable laser driver capable of producing 50-MeV electron beams at greater than 100 Hz, along with a complete design for a system that can scale to 100 GeV and 1 kHz within a 250 m3 footprint. Proposals must address the scaling physics, including the impact on focusing optics and gas targets at higher energies and repetition rates, and the base period is a 24-month program with fixed payable milestones from early design and acquisition planning through prototype demonstration and final reporting. The opportunity is pre-release, opens on April 15, 2026, and closes on May 13, 2026 at 4:00 p.m. UTC.