To address the Air Force need for enhanced LADAR-based target ID capabilities that can operate in contested environments both at safe distances and on attritable unmanned aerial systems (UASs) at closer range, Torchlight Solutions will develop tileable, high speed non-mechanical beam steering devices for high resolution LADAR systems. The envisioned device will leverage state-of-the-art semiconductor processing to overcome the speed limitations of liquid crystals and MEMs, and circumvent the optical loss and wavelength tunability requirements inherent to photonic integrated circuit optical phased array approaches. In Phase I, we will establish technical feasibility and minimize risk through comprehensive optical, carrier transport, and thermal simulation and optimization. In Phase II, we will fabricate and characterize proof-of-concept devices.
