DIRECT TO PHASE II: Extended Lifetime Near-Infrared Lasers for Quantum Sensing
ID: N241-D03Type: BOTH
Overview

Topic

DIRECT TO PHASE II: Extended Lifetime Near-Infrared Lasers for Quantum Sensing

Agency

Department of DefenseN/A

Program

Type: SBIRPhase: BOTHYear: 2024

Topic Link

https://www.sbir.gov/node/2479825

Additional Information

https://www.defensesbirsttr.mil/SBIR-STTR/Opportunities/
Timeline
    Description

    The Department of Defense (DOD) is seeking proposals for their SBIR 24.1 BAA solicitation. The specific topic of the solicitation is "DIRECT TO PHASE II: Extended Lifetime Near-Infrared Lasers for Quantum Sensing". The Navy branch is responsible for this topic. The objective of the research is to enhance the reliability and operational lifetime of near-infrared (NIR) lasers to support the development of quantum sensors and atomic clocks. The current NIR lasers have limited operational lifetimes, and the Navy is looking for narrow linewidth, tunable NIR laser diodes in the range of 770-852.5 nm with extended operational lifetimes. The proposed lasers should have an operational lifetime exceeding 100,000 hours and be capable of single frequency operation with high output power in a single transverse spatial mode. The proposed approaches should have similar SWaP (size, weight, and power) efficiency to existing commercial devices. The project will have a Phase I and Phase II. In Phase I, the small business should develop a concept for a workable prototype or design that meets the basic requirements. In Phase II, the small business should design, fabricate, package, and characterize a production run of high-reliability diode-based lasers that meet the performance goals. The prototypes will be evaluated and tested, and the technology can be transitioned to Navy use. The end product technology could have military and commercial applications in areas such as optical atomic clocks, GPS denied navigation aids, resource exploration, geosensing, mapping, timing, telecommunications, and deep space navigation. The solicitation is closed, and more information can be found on the Defense SBIR/STTR website.

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