NASA 1996 STTR Phase I
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Proposal Number:
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960039
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Project Title:
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MICROMACHINED TUNABLE OPTICAL FILTER ARRAYS FOR REMOTE SENSING
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Small Business Concern:
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Physical Sciences Inc.
20 New England Business Center
Andover, MA 01810-1077
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Research Institution:
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Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Bldg E19-750
50 Ames Street
Cambridge, MA 02139
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Principal Investigator/Project Manager:
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Michael F. Miller
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Technical Abstract:
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A micromachined tunable optical filter array for remote sensing
is described. The individual filters consist of an optical
cavity fabricated from single-crystal silicon with layered
Si/SiOx reflective coatings. The filter combines the optical
advantages of PSI's low-order Fabry-Perot imaging technology
with the mechanical advantages of micromachined devices.
Microfabricating the tunable filter devices provides several
advantages, including: 1) being solid-state, the filters are
small and rugged; 2) since these devices are fabricated from
silicon, the potential exists for integrating the control
electronics with the filter device; and 3) arrays of tunable
filters can be fabricated simultaneously on a single wafer.
Using a micromachined filter arrays in combination with imaging
arrays is attractive because they can be used in a variety of
modes, including as a spectrometer. In Phase I, PSI and MIT
propose to design a micromachined tunable optical filter array
and demonstrate the feasilibility of the fabrication process by
producing a prototype array. Optical testing of the prototype
array will be performed, and the results of these tests will be
used to design a prototype optical device to be developed
during the Phase II program.
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Potential Commercial Applications:
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Micromachined tunable optical filters share the same commercial
applications as tunable optical filters fabricated using
conventional means (e.g., remote sensing). The benefits of
producing these devices using microfrabrication techniques
(e.g., solid-state, compact) provide a distinct advantage over
existing filter technology. Additionally, the use of arrays of
tunable optical filters provide the opportunity to develop
novel instruments for making spectrally-resolved measurements
(e.g, spectrometer on a chip).