Large, High-Efficiency Sieves for High-Resolution, Fast-Cadence Solar Imaging

Completed TRL 4 (started at 3, targeting 4)

Description

Lithography and micromachining tools in the GSFC Detector Fabrication Laboratory will be used to demonstrate large area polymer phase contrast sieves and silicon binary sieves. New fabrication processes will be developed to demonstrate large area silicon phase contrast sieves. The EUV performance of phase contrast sieves will be demonstrated in the laboratory. Successful fabrication and testing of all three types of sieves will enable a multi-channel photon sieve telescope explorer mission to achieve unprecedented resolution covering all temperature regimes of the solar atmosphere.

Benefits

Individual dissipation regions of magnetic energy in the solar corona have not been resolved, owing to limitations of conventional optics for the EUV. Photon sieves provide diffraction limited resolution and can provide orders of magnitude improvement. This work focusses on increasing the size of sieves from 80 to 170 mm in diameter, and by using phase contrast, increase the efficiency from a maximum of 9% to 36%.

Details

Technology area	Sensors and Instruments > Remote Sensing Instruments and Sensors > Optical Components
Program	Center Innovation Fund: GSFC CIF (GSFC CIF)
Lead organization	Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt, MD
Start date	2020-10-01
End date	2021-09-30

Project contacts

Listed on TechPort itself — the most direct way to ask about this specific project.

Adrian N Daw — adrian.daw@nasa.gov

How to get involved

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 4) — the most realistic path in is NASA SBIR/STTR, which funds small businesses and research institutions to develop technology aligned with NASA's needs (equity-free, phased funding). Check whether a current SBIR/STTR solicitation topic overlaps with this project's technology area, or contact the project directly (above) to ask.

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