SBIR-STTR Award

The proposed innovation is a segmented, micromachined deformable mirror (DM) that can compensate tip-tilt-piston (TTP) positioning and stability errors of a segmented space-based primary mirror. This effort responds directly to the NASA FY2018 SBIR/STTR General Solicitation, Focus Area 10: Advanced Telescope Technologies, Subtopic S2.01: Proximity Glare Suppression for Astronomical Direct Detection. This subtopic focuses on new technological developments that are needed for exoplanet direct imaging, and specifically identifies wavefront measurement and control technologies as a key need. The core subject of this proposal is to develop a technology that is identified as critical in this subtopic: small-stroke, high-precision deformable mirrors and associated driving electronics. The solicitation specifically calls for a “Deformable, calibrated, collimating source to simulate the telescope front end of a coronagraph undergoing thermal deformations.” The proposed DM would have complementary uses for both simulating the front end of a coronagraph (as a surrogate for its primary) and precisely compensating wavefront errors in the front end of an actual coronagraph. High-precision deformable mirrors have applications relative to multiple NASA needs. Commercialization opportunities in astronomy and space science include both space telescopes such as the Large UV/Optical/Infrared Surveyor (LUVOIR) and Habitable Exoplanet Imaging Mission (HabEx) telescopes. The DM architectures to be developed in this project also have commercial applications in non-government markets, including space surveillance and biological microscopy. In the microscopy market especially, the TTP DM has become a commercial product used in two photon nonlinear microscopes through the pioneering efforts of Na Ji at Howard Hughes Medical Insitute’s Janelia Research Campus. Potential NASA Applications High-actuator-count deformable mirrors (DMs) have a few NASA applications. The following applications apply to all BMC DMs that benefit from processes developed for this program. Astronomy: For space telescopes, a number of missions require the control provided by the proposed DMs such as LUVOIR and HabEx. For ground-based telescopes, BMC has successfully developed arrays up to 4096 elements for GPI and other high contrast imaging testbeds and can achieve similar results for other new ELTs. Potential Non-NASA Applications The deformable mirrors (DMs) developed in this project have a few commercial applications and apply to all BMC DMs benefitting from processes developed for this program. Space surveillance and optical comms would benefit from this new architecture for long-range imaging and secure communication. Microscopy Users would benefit in modalities such as multi-photon, 4Pi and localization microscopy. Finally, DM arrays will enable new techniques for laser marking, material ablation and characterization.

An objective for future decadal study missions is to detect exo-Earths using space-based telescopes with segmented primary mirrors (PMs). Wavefront control for such telescopes will require small-stroke, high-precision deformable mirrors (DMs). The proposed innovation is a segmented microelectromechanical DM that can be used in NASA test beds as a surrogate for segmented PMs, or to compensate wavefront errors of PM segments in future NASA programs. The project directly addresses NASA’s SBIR General Solicitation, Focus Area 10: Advanced Telescope Technologies, under the Science Mission Directorate Subtopic S2.01, which calls for a deformable source to simulate the telescope front end of a coronagraph undergoing deformations. In the proposed work, an objective is to develop a DM having an array of hexagonal mirror segments, each supported by an array of underlying electrostatic actuators. Such a device could be used to actively compensate topographical errors in a PM. The proposed device has no hysteresis and uses an all-silicon design that is intrinsically stable and insensitive to environmental distortions. The plan of work builds on a successful Phase I project that demonstrated concept feasibility. It includes fabrication of DM segment arrays, use of an ion beam figuring process to planarize DM mirror surfaces, and demonstration of active control of segment topography. The outcome of this project will be a device that can reduce telescope shape errors to <10nm RMS in NASA test beds used for development of future space-based observatories. Potential NASA Applications (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words) Segmented deformable mirrors that are suitable for correcting surface figure error and stability in primary telescope segments and serving as a primary mirror array surrogates in telescope testbeds have a few NASA applications. The following application applies to DMs designed for this program. Space-based astronomical telescopes: A number of missions require the control provided by the proposed DMs such as LUVOIR and HabEx. These devices will fill a critical technology gap in NASA’s vision for high-contrast imaging and spectroscopy instruments. Potential Non-NASA Applications (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words) Deformable mirrors suitable for correcting surface figure error and stability in primary telescope segments and as primary mirror surrogates in telescope testbeds have non-NASA applications. They can improve the performance of terrestrial telescopes such as TMT and E-ELT. Surrogate devices can be used in testbeds to develop instruments for telescopes with segmented primary mirrors.