Physical Optics Corporation — Department of Defense SBIR Phase I: SB142-005

Description

To address the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency?s (DARPA?s) need for compact optical isolators, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to develop a new Faraday Rotator with Magnetic Superlattice (FARMS). The proposed novel optical isolator design is based on enhanced magneto-optic (MO) effects in magnetic photonic crystals. The innovation in the technology is its capacity to engineer MO effects not only by choosing the right material but also by adjusting the lattice parameters of 1 dimensional photonic crystals. While occupying a small volume (~0.1 cm^3), a FARMS optical isolator is projected to achieve high optical transmission (1 dB or less forward loss) and excellent optical isolation (40 dB) at target wavelengths at a low cost (~$500 per device). Therefore, the FARMS technology directly addresses the DARPA?s requirements for a compact, robust optical isolator for applications in cold atom microsystems. In Phase I, POC will demonstrate the feasibility of the FARMS technology and present a Phase II prototype design. In Phase II, POC will further optimize and test the device performance in an operational environment.