N101-080 TITLE: DUAL BAND SAL SEEKER Read Out Integrated Circuit (ROIC)

TECHNOLOGY AREAS: Weapons

ACQUISITION PROGRAM: PMA 242; APKWS; ACAT III

RESTRICTION ON PERFORMANCE BY FOREIGN CITIZENS (i.e., those holding non-U.S. Passports): This topic is "ITAR Restricted." The information and materials provided pursuant to or resulting from this topic are restricted under the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR), 22 CFR Parts 120 - 130, which control the export of defense-related material and services, including the export of sensitive technical data. Foreign Citizens may perform work under an award resulting from this topic only if they hold the "Permanent Resident Card", or are designated as "Protected Individuals" as defined by 8 U.S.C. 1324b(a)(3). If a proposal for this topic contains participation by a foreign citizen who is not in one of the above two categories, the proposal will be rejected.

OBJECTIVE: The objective of this SBIR is to develop a read out integrated circuit (ROIC) for an advanced, integrated Dual Band Semi-Active Laser (SAL) receiver. The ROIC shall provide timing information for returns received by any detectors. The critical new design elements of this SBIR shall provide support for alternative detectors that can utilize returns from both eye hazardous and eye-safe lasers. The ROIC shall support at least 16x16 detector elements in order to increase weapon system effectiveness while maintaining the same active area as the conventional quad-cell.

DESCRIPTION: A semiactive laser sensor consisting of a, at a minimum, 16x16 dual-band detectors integrated with a ROIC architecture would develop a dual wavelength sensor for future SAL seekers. The increased number of detectors provides the precision required for effective guidance while still retaining a low cost, strap down sensor design. Integrating all necessary SAL analog functions in the ROIC and, therefore, providing a purely digital interface would be advantageous.

Optimal responses to this SBIR will address a proposed approach and analyze:
� how accurate timing and intensity information can be provided,
� how, during target acquisition, detection and code correlation can be near continuous, (ROICs typically have "live" and "dead" time to allow readout of data stored in sample /holds for each detector. Consequently, some combination of fast readout of data and/or adequate buffer lengths must be provided.),
� predicted power consumption, and
� how the ROIC may be integrated with GFE detector arrays.

Live time is defined as the period, or percentage, of time that the ROIC is actively collecting data. Dead time is defined as the period of time that the ROIC is not actively collecting data but is performing other tasks such as reading out buffered data. It is conceivable that a ROIC could be buffered in such a manner as to simultaneously collect and read out data. In such an advantageous system, dead time would be zero or not defined.

PHASE I: In Phase I of this SBIR effort, the contractor shall investigate approaches to developing the ROIC as described above. This will include methodologies and electronics required in order to test the resultant ROIC. Based on the outcome of the assessment, the contractor shall prepare a preliminary design for the ROIC and shall provide with the design a description of the likely cost, in quantity, of producing such a device.

PHASE II: In Phase II of this SBIR effort, the contractor shall finalize the design and construct a prototype that could be tested in a laboratory setting. The prototype must demonstrate achieving the specifications listed in order to move to Phase III. An option for this phase will be to integrate a government provided detector array and test the resultant assembly. Classification guide required for Phase II effort.

PHASE III: In this phase, the resultant ROIC shall be integrated with a government provided detector and packaged in a military package for field testing which will include both ground/tower and helicopter testing. Associated electronics and test sets required to collect meaningful data shall be provided by the contractor.

PRIVATE SECTOR COMMERCIAL POTENTIAL/DUAL-USE APPLICATIONS: The development of eye-safe lasers could open up commercial applications of semi-active laser guidance packages, which are now restricted by safety concerns around the 1.06 micron lasers.

REFERENCES:
1. Hintz, Robert "Dual Band Semi-Active Weapons Systems" Proceedings of Military Sensing Symposium, National Meeting Nov 2007, SENSIAC Atlanta 2008.

2. JPUB-01

KEYWORDS: Semi-Active Laser, SAL, Weapon, Dual-band, Read Out Integrated Circuits, Eye-Safe, Precision Guidance

** TOPIC AUTHOR (TPOC) **

DoD Notice:   Between November 12 and December 9, 2009, you may talk directly with the Topic Authors to ask technical questions about the topics. Their contact information is listed above. For reasons of competitive fairness, direct communication between proposers and topic authors is not allowed starting December 10, 2009, when DoD begins accepting proposals for this solicitation.

However, proposers may still submit written questions about solicitation topics through the DoD's SBIR/STTR Interactive Topic Information System (SITIS), in which the questioner and respondent remain anonymous and all questions and answers are posted electronically for general viewing until the solicitation closes. All proposers are advised to monitor SITIS (10.1 Q&A) during the solicitation period for questions and answers, and other significant information, relevant to the SBIR 10.1 topic under which they are proposing.

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