Electro-Optic Tunable Laser Sensor, Phase I

This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project will develop a compact, rugged, rapidly and widely tunable laser based on a quantum cascade diode laser at mid-infrared wavelengths. The key innovation in this effort is the use of an engineered electro-optic tuning element in an external cavity laser to provide control of the laser wavelength through an applied voltage. AdvR has previously demonstrated the feasibility of large tuning range matching that of mechanically tuned lasers, yet also offering low cost, smaller size, robustness, portability, and tuning speed that is faster by six orders of magnitude. The Phase I effort will investigate adapting the external cavity tuning techniques to quantum cascade lasers to generate tunable wavelengths for mid-infrared spectroscopy.

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.

None of these are guaranteed paths for this specific project — TechPort itself doesn't have an "apply" button. Reaching out to the contact(s) above with a specific question is usually the fastest way to find out what's actually open.