TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Air Platform, Information Systems, Electronics

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: F-35-Joint Strike Fighter; ACAT I

OBJECTIVE: Develop a rugged and durable drop-in fiber replacement that would provide a versatile platform for a number of photonic network-centric military avionic network applications.

DESCRIPTION: Fiber optic networks in aircraft are becoming a reality. Aviation requirements such as shock, vibration, thermodynamic, and fleet maintenance make this technology deployment extremely challenging. A fiber based backplane fabric serves as a basic foundation for the mission computer intercommunication paths. Furthermore, ribbon fiber suitable for pigtailing fiber optic transceivers mounted on circuit card assemblies serves as the basic interconnect between active optoelectronic components and fiber based backplanes. This type of fiber interconnect is subjected to tight bending and is currently very fragile and requires meticulous handling by the board designers. Some of the fibers are routed throughout the aircraft with convoluted tubing as protection. A more durable, reliable, and compact fiber optic replacement that is equivalent to or higher in performance that the current fiber material is needed to meet the military adverse environmental conditions.

The new material should require less cable protection than the current silica-based fiber optic material due to its higher strength characteristic and resistance to breaking due to handling. The new material will be applied to both digital (1 to 10 Gb/s) and analog (to 20 GHz) fiber optic systems, including both fixed wavelength (i.e., 850 nm, 1300 nm, 1550 nm) and multiwavelength (i.e, wavelength division multiplex (WDM)).

Selection criteria for the replacement material must be based on durability, reliability, affordability, and drop-in fiber replacement performance. The fiber optic devices must be capable of both 2.5 and 10 Gb/s data transmission in an avionic representative 50, 62.5 and 100 micron graded index multimode core and 9 micron mode field diameter single-mode fiber optic cable plant environment (i.e., –55 to +165 ºC ambient operational temperature range, 100 meter long transmission distance).

PHASE I: Design and develop alternative cable plant material that can replace current fiber optics.

PHASE II: Develop and test a prototype new fiber replacement package over the full – 40 to +100 oC ambient temperature range.

PHASE III: Demonstrate that the new fiber optic material will perform within the specified range in adverse environments and transition it to a military platform.

PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL/DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: Private sector applications include computer and telecommunication networks incorporating fiber optic interconnects.

REFERENCES:
1. Beranek, M.W.; Avak, A. R.; and Van Deven, R. L., "Military Digital Avionics Fiber Optic Network Design For Maintainability And Supportability," IEEE Aerospace and Electronic Society Systems (AESS), vol. 21, no. 9, pp. 18-24, 2006.

2. Glista, Jr., A. S. and Beranek, M. W., "Wavelength Division Multiplexed (WDM) Optical Technology Solutions For Next Generation Aerospace Platforms," IEEE/AIAA 22nd Digital Avionics Systems Conference Proceedings, 2003.

3. Beranek, M.W., "Fiber Optic Interconnect And Optoelectronic Packaging Challenges For Future Generation Avionics," Proceedings of SPIE, Vol. 6478, pp. 647809-1 to 647809-18, 2007.
KEYWORDS: Fiber Optics; Interconnect; Networks; Wavelength Division Multiplexer (WDM); Telecommunication; Multi-Wavelength.

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