High Speed Beam Steering Components for Lidar

Boulder Nonlinear Systems (BNS) will develop a high speed (sub-15 micro-second response time) low size, weight, and power (SWaP) beam scanner for application to space-based Lidar. BNS will employ their current liquid crystal polarization grating (LCPG) technology and ferroelectric liquid crystal (FLC) switches to meet the discrete scanner speed and resolution requirements called for in the solicitation. Advantages of applying BNS LCPG and switch component technology specific to the space-based Lidar application will include accuracy, reliability, and improved SWaP as well as high rate (at least 8 kHz ) scanning. In addition, BNS will develop an environmental test and or mitigation plan for our components tailored to the space-based Lidar application. The Phase I analysis will result in the design of a scanner prototype which will be built in Phase II.

In addition to the remote sensing application, a fast, low-SWaP beam scanner could be used in NASAs hazard avoidance applications (Docking, Entry, Descent and Landing). The result of the Phase I effort will be a design for a prototype fast, low SWaP beam scanner. The Phase II prototype implementation will serve to demonstrate the beam scanning capability, environmental survivability, as well as optimize SWaP. The resultant beam control system will be transitioned to the Lidar systems integrator and eventually a commercial product.

Possible commercial applications include the use of this technology for agricultural and meteorological information gathering as well as search and rescue.

This is early/mid-stage (TRL 3) — 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.

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.