NASA STTR 2004 Solicitation

FORM B - PROPOSAL SUMMARY


PROPOSAL NUMBER: 04 T4.02-9836
RESEARCH SUBTOPIC TITLE: Space Science Sensors and Instruments
PROPOSAL TITLE: GaN Based UV Sensors for Earth Resources Management
SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN (SBC) RESEARCH INSTITUTION (RI)
NAME:TechnoVentures, LLC NAME:University of Maryland
ADDRESS:17 Saddlerock Court ADDRESS:AV Williams Building
CITY:Silver Spring CITY:College Park
STATE/ZIP:MD20902-1611 STATE/ZIP:MD20742-5141
PHONE:(301)593-8002 PHONE:(301)405-7187

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
J Ari Tuchman
ari@technoventures.com
17 Saddlerock Court
Silver Spring, MD 20902-1611
(301)593-8002

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
The purpose of the proposed work is to develop a multi-color imaging array capable of simultaneously detecting radiation in either the UVa (400-320nm) and UVb (320-290nm), or UVa (400-320nm) and UVc (290-100nm) wavelength bands. This will be the first such device ever fabricated. Imagers of this type can identify and track rocket trajectories even in bright sunlight. Many types of camouflage material are transparent in the UV, allowing for ordinance detection beneath camouflage. Earth resource management (crop data acquisition and weather prediction) will also benefit from this activity. Our research team has fabricated a single-color GaN imaging array. We found that bright solar radiation does create a significant background signal that makes missile plume identification difficult. The solar spectrum provides well-defined intensity ratios of UVa, UVb and UVc radiation. Sensing simultaneously in two of the three bands allows for rejection of signals with the solar ratio signature. This significantly reduces the possibility of registering false positive alarms.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (LIMIT 100 WORDS)
There are two important commercial applications deriving from the proposed work: solar weather prediction and earth resources management. UV studies of the sun are of critical importance in determining sunspot activity and its impact on terrestial communications. UV images of the earth are routinely used in crop surveys as well as in geological data base generation.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (LIMIT 100 WORDS)
Rocket plume detection and camoflauge penetration.