SBIR-STTR Award

In this Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) program, Nikira Labs Inc. proposes to develop an open-path, self-calibrating cavity ringdown system (CRDS) that can measure optical extinction at multiple visible and near-infrared wavelengths. The resulting instrument will supplant existing, scattering-based visibility sensors, and be used by the Navy for directed energy weapons (DEWs) and free-space communications applications. In Phase I, Nikira Labs will fabricate an open-path CRDS that includes three parallel, high-finesse optical cavities operating at 520 nm, 850 nm, and 1.06 microns. The instrument will utilize fiber-coupled lasers, avalanche photodiodes, and associated electronics for data control, acquisition, and reporting. The fully-functional prototype will be extensively laboratory tested to determine it analytical performance by measuring Rayleigh scattering, molecular absorption, and generated aerosol flows. Subsequent to these tests, the Phase I instrument will be field-deployed with a collocated visibility sensor to empirically gauge its robustness and technical feasibility for Naval applications. During the Phase I Option period, Nikira Labs will design three comprehensive Phase II systems for terrestrial, shipboard, and airborne monitoring.

Benefit:
In addition to measuring optical extinction for the Navy, the SBIR instrument has several commercial applications. In Phase III, Nikira Labs Inc. will develop open-path CRDS analyzers for environmental monitoring and natural gas leak detection. A preliminary market analysis suggests a 5-year revenue exceeding $13M from these markets alone. The value of the market is confirmed by letters of support from ABB Inc., a leading retailer in the environmental monitoring space, and Schlumberger, the worlds leading oil and natural gas services company.

Keywords:
visibility sensor, visibility sensor, open-path, cavity ringdown spectroscopy, aerosol

The U.S. Navy uses lasers for directed energy weapons (DEWs) and free-space optical communication. Optical extinction is critical to both applications. For example, simulations have determined that aerosol optical extinction is the one of the largest sources of variability/uncertainty for DEWS. Similarly, free-space optical communication systems are impaired by scattering from atmospheric aerosols causing significant extinction of an optical signal and possible system outage. In Phase I, Nikira Labs Inc. developed an open-path, self-calibrating cavity ringdown system (CRDS) that measures optical extinction at 532 nm, 852 nm, and 1065 nm. The analyzer had a 1s, 1s precision of better than 0.5 Mm-1 with a dynamic range of 0.001 20 km-1. Accuracy was confirmed by measuring Rayleigh scattering before the unit was deployed on at the Marine Meteorology Division of the Naval Research Laboratory for 37 days over which it required minimal user intervention and no mirror cleaning. Several events were observed, and the measured extinctions were in agreement with commercial visibility measurements. The prototype already meets/exceeds many of Navys nominal performance targets including extinction range, wavelengths, response time, power usage, user intervention, and data storage. In Phase II, we will fabricate and deliver three multi-wavelength instruments to the Navy for aerosol extinction measurements. The first will be intended for ground-based usage in test stations or firing ranges. The second will capable of making airborne, shipboard, or other mobile measurements. The final instrument will be miniaturized for UAV deployment. All analyzers will be laboratory tested to determine their performance before being deployed and delivered to NRL.

Benefit:
In addition to measuring optical extinction for the Navy, the SBIR instrument has several commercial applications. In Phase III, Nikira Labs Inc. will develop open-path CRDS analyzers for environmental monitoring and natural gas leak detection. A preliminary market analysis suggests a 5-year revenue exceeding $16M from these markets alone.

Keywords:
optical extinction, cavity ringdown, Visibility