The Development of Polarimetric and Nonpolarimetric Multiwavelength Focal Plane Arrays, Phase I

High-performance polarimetric and nonpolarimetric sensing is crucial to upcoming NASA missions, including ACE and CLARREO and the multi-agency VIIRS NPP project. The objective of the proposed project is to use plasmonic/photonic hybrid crystals to develop multiwavelength polarimetric focal plane arrays (FPAs) that exceed performance requirements for ACE and CLARREO, while reducing costs through component integration. Plasmonic/photonic hybrid crystal films are an enabling technology and can be used to develop high spectral resolution, low crosstalk components for other NASA missions, such as GEO-CAPE, as well as transparent metal contacts for high-efficiency sensors and solar cells, Additionally, hybrid crystals eliminate several problems, such as diffraction, light scattering, moving parts, and the need to dice/bond components. This project will use recent discoveries in Plasmonic and Photonic Crystals research that allow for polarimetric control of the flow and super focusing/beaming of light, concepts that have been analytically and experimentally verified. The polarimetric control of the flow of light allows the development of devices that separate polarization components of an incident beam and detect the separate components in the same or different pixels of a FPA. The hybrid crystals can play several roles, including polarization splitter/filters, antireflection coatings, superfocusing elements and electrical contacts.

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.