NSF Award
0422094
This Small Business Research (SBIR) Phase II project is aimed to capitalize on our Phase I success of ultra-fast tunable optical filter technology for the applications of hyperspectral imaging, environmental monitoring and optical communication. During Phase I period, the feasibility of ultra-fast tunable filters based on electro-optical effect have been demonstrated through prototyping. State-of-the-art filter characteristics have been achieved, including ultra-fast response (< 500 ns), wide tuning range (> 80nm at 1550nm), narrow line width (< 0.1nm) and broad working spectral band (from visible to middle infrared continuously). Based on the successful Phase I execution, the major effort of Phase II will be developing an advanced tunable filter platform. At which several commercial products are expected to emerge. Such as ultra-fast hyperspectral imaging systems suitable for geosciences and medical diagnostics, high frequency wavelength modulators for high sensitivity spectroscopic detection of trace-gas and wide-range fast-tuning optical filters for spectroscopy and wavelength-division-multiplexing (WDM) optical communication<br/><br/>Hyperspectral imagery has many existing and potential applications in agriculture,<br/>forestry, emergency response/disaster management, insurance, national security, oil and gas<br/>exploration, medical imaging, and military surveillance. The proposed components and system,<br/>featuring in lightweight, fast action, broad wavelength band, and low cost, is needed for airborne<br/>hyperspectral imagery. The tunable add/drop is promise to reduce network complexity and cost by eliminating expensive optical-electrical-optical conversion and reducing inventory of fixed-wavelength devices. A fast wavelength modulation, combined with synchronized detection, can form a very sensitive spectroscopic analytic instrument for trace-gas sensing. These gases usually have characteristic absorption lines in infrared (IR) band, where no other fast tunable filter existed. It has seen a growing demand from the largest application areas, such as chemicals, petrochemicals, power generation, national security and environmental monitoring.
