NANOHMICS INC — National Aeronautics and Space Administration STTR Phase I: T8

Description

Metamaterial optics provide dramatic reductions in size and weight compared with traditional refractive optics. Nanohmics, Inc., and Andrea Alugrave;rsquo;s group at the City University of New York propose to develop ultrathin, light-weight, high-transmittance optics based on microfabricated gradient metagratings. A metagrating is an array of polarizable metamaterial particles with a period comparable to the optical wavelength. By spatially varying particle geometries, a microfabricated metagrating lens can focus light with minimal optical aberration and diffraction-limited precision. Because of their extremely low size and mass, metagrating optics will be ideal for sensors, imagers, and optical communication applications in probes and other SWaP-constrained space vehicles. Initial development will center on transmission-mode beam shaping optics that can be used in space-based remote sensing or optical communication subsystems.nbsp;nbsp;In Phase I the team will demonstrate the feasibility of a high-transmittance metagrating beam shaping optic by designing, microfabricating and testing a small proof-of-principle metagrating lens operating at wavelength ~1.55nbsp;micro;m, with TRL 3.nbsp;nbsp;Phase I laboratory test results, and modeling and simulation, will strengthen the design for a larger, polarization-independent, beam shaping prototype to be fabricated in Phase II.nbsp;nbsp;The Phase II prototype will advance to TRL 5 and be laboratory tested and made available to NASA for independent testing. The proposed metagrating prototype will be fabricated using CMOS-compatible materials and standard microfabrication techniques to reduce costs and provide a rapid route to commercialization for beam shaping and other light-weight optics.nbsp;nbsp;Longer term, the team proposes the integration of the metagrating technology into planetary missions as part of NASA#39;s Science Mission Directorate (SMD), including for SWaP-constrained scientific exploration of Earth and other objects in the Solar System.nbsp;nbsp;