The Department of Defense (DOD) is seeking proposals for the topic of "High-Bandwidth Multimode Fiber-Optic Cabling" as part of their Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) program. The objective is to design and develop a high-bandwidth multimode optical fiber for avionic and sensor applications. The current military systems require increased bandwidths while reducing space, weight, and power. The proposed optical cabling must support data transmission rates of 100 Gbps and higher, maintain compatibility with military fiber-optic termini, and operate in harsh avionic environments. The fiber must also operate across a wide temperature range and maintain performance in various naval air platform environments.
The Phase I of the project involves designing a multimode optical fiber with a bandwidth greater than 10 GHz*km and compatibility with lasers in the S band (850 to 1050 nm) and the O-band (1260 nm to 1400 nm). Phase II focuses on optimizing the fiber for high-speed operation over temperature and characterizing link error potential. In Phase III, the technology will be transitioned to military aircraft platforms, and commercial datacenters can use the fiber optic cable to connect routers and servers.
The project duration and funding specifics are not provided in the document. For more information and to submit a proposal, interested parties can visit the SBIR topic link provided: SBIR Topic Link.