A Novel Asynchronous Integrating Latching controller for MEMS deformable mirrors (NAIL)

All coronagraphic systems under consideration for imaging extra solar planets use some form of deformable mirror to control the wavefront quality of the beam in the instrument. The lightest and lowest power deformable mirrors are the MEMS based systems. Unfortunately, the current state of the art controller for such a mirror is large, power inefficient, and requires an enormous interconnecting cable. While we can produce a deformable mirror the size of a sugar cube, we require power hungry electronics the size of a bread box to run it. This proposal seeks funding to develop a chip sized deformable mirror controller. The controller will be a low powered, high voltage application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). We envision a system which share a small printed circuit boar with the mirror and which will be attached to the host system by a high voltage cable and a serial communications line. The concept is well suited to scale to even larger DMs and to the even higher precision requirements envisioned by the most ambitious missions under consideration. This work will facilitate the use of deformable mirrors on all high precision optical missions from suborbital platforms to major missions. We have developed and tested a low fidelity breadboard and tested the concepts basic functionality.

This is a mature technology (TRL 7+) — the realistic path in is usually NASA's Technology Transfer Program: licensing an existing NASA patent, or a Space Act Agreement to use NASA facilities/expertise directly. NASA also runs a startup licensing program with no upfront fee for companies formed to commercialize a specific NASA technology.

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