PROJECT TITLE: Integrated C-SiC Optical Reflectors
TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
Silicon Carbide (SiC) offers an excellent material for optical mirror applications due to its superior thermal conductivity and optical properties. Low weight SiC mirrors are an enabling technology to numerous NASA and DoD applications. This proposal seeks a novel approach to achieve a light weight SiC mirror. It is based upon significant technical accomplishments of the PI in the area of FGM technology. This novel approach will eliminate the need for conventional joining technology. It is anticipated that a pure B-SiC light weight mirror exhibiting great weight savings over currently used SiC mirrors supported on graphite will be produced using this novel approach.
POTENTIAL COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS
The most important applications of CVD-SiC is its use as substrates for fabricating mirrors for surveillance, high energy lasers, laser radar systems, synchrotron x-ray and VUV telescopes, large astronomical telescopes (ESO-VLT, MMT) and weather satellites. The surveillance systems market itself is a hundreds of millions of dollars market with applications ranging from surveillance on the ground and from space. Similarly, huge commercial potential exists for space based astronomical telescopes, and weather satellites.
NAME AND ADDRESS OF PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
Dr. W. Kowbel
MER Corporation
7960 S. Kolb Rd.
Tucson , AZ 85706
NAME AND ADDRESS OF OFFEROR
MER Corporation
7960 S. Kolb Rd.
Tucson , AZ 85706