LUNA INNOVATIONS INCORPORATED — National Aeronautics and Space Administration STTR Phase I: T8

Description

Luna, teamed with Dr. John Bowers of UCSB, will develop an integrated chip-scale optical magnetometer with an integral Silicon/III-V laser. This innovative product will enable new levels of performance for in situ and remote sensing in NASArsquo;s space missions. The coupling of a silicon based optical magnetometer with an on-chip light source using heterogeneous silicon photonics drastically minimizes device size, weight, and power (SWaP) while maintaining high performance magnetic field sensing. Benefitting from wafer-level fabrication, monolithically processed components allow for a sensing instrument with no moving parts which can be hardened to endure the harsh conditions of space missions. A heterogeneous Si/III-V laser eliminates the need for a bulky, external light source by coupling light directly into the optical magnetometer either via butt-coupling or directly integrated on-chip.Phase I will prove the feasibility of a silicon optical magnetometer based on interferometric principles which can measure both magnitude and direction of a magnetic field. Studies on the sensitivity and range of the magnetometer will be completed and the design refined through high-fidelity simulations. A laboratory demonstration of a silicon photonics device with an external laser will prove the feasibility of the sensing mechanism and the approach for future system-on-chip fabrication. During Phase II, the team will fabricate a prototype silicon optical magnetometer coupled to a heterogeneously integrated silicon laser to demonstrate a lightweight, rugged, and miniature magnetometer device suitable for NASA scientific missions in space. A successful project will result in significant commercial potential and will advance the state-of-the-art of silicon photonics.