SBIR-STTR Award

A program is proposed to evaluate the feasibility of developing a forty-pound compact lidar system based on a unique lsi laser design. The goal is a system having four frequency agile coaxially aligned co2 laser beams with an energy output of at least 100 mj, a prf of 100 hz, and tunability to 66 lines at a tuning rate of 100 hz. The system should use nine inch collecting optics, state-of-the-art detectors, have a sealed laser life of 10 million pulses, operate on a 28 volt power supply and provide buffered 16 bit digital data (ttl logic), using an a/d rate of 20 mhz, storing 4k words of data for each laser shot. The most important aspect of the phase i feasibility study will be to demonstrate that a lightweight laser head can be built which meets the pulse energy and pulse rate requirements, that a lightweight agile system can be developed, and that technology is available to develop a lightweight receiver and data handling system. Each major component of the system will be addressed through a combination of feasibility demonstration, analysis and design studied. Various packaging concepts will be considered to select a conceptual design and estimates will be made of weight, size and performance. This design will form the basis for a phase ii program to develop and test a system.

Laser science, inc. Has identified a baseline system for a miniature lidar for standoff detection during the phase i sbir program. The baseline design brings together new technology and novel concepts for extraction of energy on low gain lines, high rep rate frequency agility and enhanced catalyst performance. The system meets the phase i goals set for pulse energy and pulse repetition rate. Through laboratory experiments, a pulse energy of 100 mj has been demonstrated on weak lines, such as 9p44, and over 200 mj per pulse on the strongest lines. The system is designed to produce four different co(2) lines during a 10 ms burst with a single laser. The required frequency agility is achieved by incorporating an advanced line tuning device which is being developed by teledyne cme with internal funds. The design is also based on the use of a newly developed catalyst which has demonstrated superior performance in laboratory test, including operation in a -40c environment. Based on the success of the phase i program, a phase ii program is proposed which will demonstrate the viability of a miniature lidar system for standoff detection. The demonstration will include a breadboard laser and frequency agile system, and if possible the use of the newly developed catalyst and small power supplies. It will also be designed to operate with a gfe receiver, detector and signal processing package for demonstration.