LONGWAVE PHOTONICS LLC — National Aeronautics and Space Administration SBIR Phase I: S1.04
LONGWAVE PHOTONICS LLC — SBIR Phase I award from National Aeronautics and Space Administration.
Phase I SBIR feasibility signal
- Phase I awards fund proof-of-concept work. For capture teams, they mark early interest from National Aeronautics and Space Administration in a technical approach.
- Watch for Phase II follow-ons from the same firm/topic family — that conversion path is where budgets and transition pressure rise.
- Obligated amount $125,000. Cross-check similar awards in the same agency and technology tags for going-rate context.
- Topic code S1.04 links this award to a solicitation family — search the same topic stem for incumbents and recompete timing.
- Amount
- $125,000
- Agency
- National Aeronautics and Space Administration
- Program / Phase
- SBIR · Phase I
- Topic
- S1.04
- NAICS
- —
- Place of performance
- CA
- Period
- 2017-06-09 → 2017-12-08
Description
NASA and NASA funded missions/instruments such as Aura/MLS (Microwave Limb Sounder), SOFIA/GREAT and STO/STO-2 have demonstrated the need for local oscillator (LO) sources between 30 and 300 um (1 and 10 THz). For observations >2 THz, technologically mature microwave sources typically have microwatt power levels which are insufficient to act as LOs for a heterodyne receivers. LongWave Photonics is proposing to develop a high power, frequency tunable, phase/frequency-locked, single mode, External Cavity THz quantum cascade laser (ECT-QCL) system with >2 mW average power output and a clear path to increase the power to >10 mW. The system includes a THz QC gain chip based on SISP or metal-meal waveguide with integrated horn or lens structure to reduce facet reflectivity. Frequency selective external feedback will be frequency tunable over 100's of GHz, with center frequencies ranging from 2 to 5 THz. The gain chip will be packaged in a high-reliability Stirling cycle cooler. The source will be phase/frequency locked to a stable microwave reference synthesizer with <100 kHz line width.