SBIR-STTR Award

Infrared counter-measures require a mid-infrared laser operating between 3-5 microns with average powers of tens of watts. Omni Sciences, Inc.'s (OSI's) aims to develop a Mid-Infra-Red FIber Laser (MIRFIL) based on super-continuum (SC) generation that produces a continuous spectrum between 1-5 microns. OSI has demonstrated broadband SC in high-nonlinearity fused silica (HiNL) and ZBLAN fluoride fibers using laser diode pumping. For HiNL the SC covers ~950nm to ~2700nm, while in ZBLAN the spectrum covers ~850nm to ~3600nm. This SC is unique in that modelocked lasers are not required and only short fiber lengths are used. The spectral density is more than three (eight) orders-of-magnitude brighter than a lamp in average (peak) power. In Phase I OSI will develop a MIRFIL covering the 3-5 micron window. The HiNL results will be extended to ~3600nm using extra drying steps in the fiber. The ZBLAN results will be extended to ~5000nm by tailoring the material composition of ZBLAN to reduce the bend induced loss. Damage threshold and power scaling will also be tested. In preparation for Phase II, a MIRFIL will be designed that can reach power levels of tens of watts over the 3-5 micron window

Infrared counter-measures require a mid-infrared laser operating between 2-5 microns with time-averaged powers of 5W and more. Omni Sciences, Inc.'s (OSI's) Mid-Infra-Red FIber Laser (MIRFIL) will generate continuous light over the mid-IR, 2-5 microns, with time-averaged power scalable to more than 5W. The MIRFIL is a practical super-continuum (SC) source using commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) laser diodes and fibers, no optical bench, and that covers several octaves of mid-IR spectrum. This SC is unique in that a mode-locked laser is not required and only short fiber lengths are used. The spectral density is more than three (eight) orders-of-magnitude brighter than a lamp in average (peak) power. In Phase I OSI and the University of Michigan demonstrated a MIRFIL in fluoride fibers with a continuous spectrum between ~0.8 and ~4.5 microns and powers as high as 1.4W. Moreover, OSI has demonstrated SC generation between ~0.8 and ~2.8 microns in fused silica fiber with a time-averaged output power of 5.3W. In Phase II the power for the MIRFIL will be scaled up to 5W over the mid-IR, and the wavelength range will be extended to beyond 5 microns. Also, the MIRFIL will be bread-board packaged for beta-sites with two system integrators.

Keywords:
Mid-Infrared Lasers, Optical Fibers, Super-Continuum, Nonlinear Optics, Infrared Counter-Measures, L