NANOHMICS INC — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: AF222-0001

Description

Infrared (IR) imaging systems with ultrawide field of view (FoV > 150°) are an important component in guidance, navigation, and control (GNC) systems. Broadband imaging optics are particularly valuable, especially in GPS-deprived battlespaces, but must be compact and light-weight for deployment on hypersonic vehicles, unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), and other platforms constrained by size, weight, and power (SWaP) requirements. Nanohmics, Inc., teaming with Professor Alù’s CUNY research group, proposes to develop low-cost, light-weight, ultrawide-FoV metalenses based on ultrathin, high-efficiency cascaded nonlocal metasurfaces. Each metasurface in the stack passes most of the broadband light but precisely focuses a specific subband to the image plane. The proposed IR imaging system will be robust, durable, and compact, making it ideal to supplement or replace GPS guidance in alternate navigation systems needed where GPS is not reliable. Wide-FoV optical flow imagery can benefit the navigation of airborne vehicles in GPS-degraded environments. Inspired in some cases by the vision of insects and birds, vision-derived wide-FoV optical flows can be integrated with inertial navigation systems (INSs) to perform attitude estimation. In Phase I, the team will demonstrate the feasibility of ultrawide-FoV metalenses by designing, fabricating, and testing a small proof-of-concept metalens based on cascaded nonlocal metasurfaces, achieving TRL 3. Laboratory testing of a Phase I proof-of-concept metalens will demonstrate a 150° FoV, high transmittance, and operation in both the near-IR (NIR) and mid-wave IR (MWIR) spectral bands. Simulated performance will be compared with that of traditional optical systems, including SWaP and durability. The team will design a scaled-up, broader-band, high-performance prototype metalens that will be fabricated in a Phase II program. Rigorous electromagnetic (EM) modeling and simulation will predict system performance and help to optimize prototype design. Phase II will include fabricating and testing a larger metalens comprising four or more cascading metasurfaces and operating over a broader range of the NIR and MWIR spectral bands. Longer term, further development will expand the operational spectral band. The reduced volume and mass of metalenses and the overall IR imaging system will reduce propulsion load and overall system power requirements. The advanced capabilities and low SWAP of the proposed IR imaging system will make it valuable for a wide variety of applications and customers, particularly for GNC systems. The metasurface technology will enable rapid commercialization of high-performance light-weight optical systems for applications in the military, industrial, communications, medical, and consumer sectors, including aerospace, automotive, land, and remote sensing applications.