NSF Award
9661743
*** ABSTRACT 9661743 Manasson This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project addresses a central problem of millimeter wave (MMW) imaging. MMW imaging is becoming an attractive option for remote sensing because millimeter waves have the advantage of penetrating adverse weather or other atmospheric obscurants, and to some extent because of MMW beams' ability to penetrate materials, while retaining reasonable spatial resolution. While a major goal of MMW imaging developers is to create an MMW equivalent of an IR staring array, the difficulties associated with providing the necessary MMW detector performance at an affordable price are immense. Use of a single, high quality MMW detector with a rapidly scanning low cost antenna can make a MMW imaging system more readily achievable. The proposed antenna concept uses an evanescent wave grating coupler to form a two-dimensional scanning antenna that can work at very high frame rates. The proposed research will demonstrate a proof-of-concept while advancing the understanding of the underlying physical phenomena. Phase II will result in fabrication of a prototype low-cost MMW radiometric imaging system. MMW imaging systems are being considered for autonomous landing guidance for aircraft, automotive traffic monitoring, fire detection and other surveillance functions and for concealed weapons detection. ***
