The NASA SBIR and STTR programs fund the research, development, and demonstration of innovative technologies that fulfill NASA needs as described in the annual Solicitations and have significant potential for successful commercialization. If you are a small business concern (SBC) with 500 or fewer employees or a non-profit RI such as a university or a research laboratory with ties to an SBC, then NASA encourages you to learn more about the SBIR and STTR programs as a potential source of seed funding for the development of your innovations.
The SBIR and STTR programs have 3 phases:
The SBIR and STTR Phase I contracts last for 6 months with a maximum funding of $125,000, and Phase II contracts last for 24 months with a maximum funding of $750,000 - $1.5 million.
Opportunity for Continued Technology Development Post-Phase II:
The NASA SBIR/STTR Program currently has in place two initiatives for supporting its small business partners past the basic Phase I and Phase II elements of the program that emphasize opportunities for commercialization. Specifically, the NASA SBIR/STTR Program has the Phase II Enhancement (Phase II-E) and Phase II eXpanded (Phase II-X) contract options.
Please review the links below to obtain more information on the SBIR/STTR programs.
Provides an overview of the SBIR and STTR programs as implemented by NASA
Provides access to the annual SBIR/STTR Solicitations containing detailed information on the program eligibility requirements, proposal instructions and research topics and subtopics
Schedule and links for the SBIR/STTR solicitations and selection announcements
Federal and non-Federal sources of assistance for small business
Search our complete archive of awarded project abstracts to learn about what NASA has funded
Still have questions? Visit the program FAQs
","parentProgram":{"ableToSelect":false,"isActive":true,"description":"Catalyst is a portfolio of early stage programs that specialize in different innovation constituencies and mechanisms to push the state of the art in aerospace technology development","programId":92327,"responsibleMd":{"canUserEdit":false,"locationEdit":false,"organizationRolePretty":"","organizationTypePretty":""},"title":"Catalyst","manageGaps":false,"acronymOrTitle":"Catalyst"},"parentProgramId":92327,"programId":73,"responsibleMd":{"organizationId":4875,"organizationName":"Space Technology Mission Directorate","acronym":"STMD","organizationType":"NASA_Mission_Directorate","canUserEdit":false,"locationEdit":false,"organizationRolePretty":"","organizationTypePretty":"NASA Mission Directorate"},"responsibleMdOffice":4875,"stockImageFileId":36648,"title":"Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Tech Transfer","manageGaps":false,"acronymOrTitle":"SBIR/STTR"},"description":"Maxion Technologies, Inc. (Maxion) proposes to develop and field test a Carbon Monoxide (CO)-sensor prototype for post fire cleanup and CO detection. The sensor will have the dynamic range required to detect and monitor CO from approximately 1 to 500 ppmv with a resolution to 1 ppmv. Maxion will grow, fabricate and test a Quantum Cascade Laser (QCL) at a unique single-mode wavelength ideal for CO detection. Maxion will team with Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) to integrate the QCL into PSI's Wavelength Modulation Spectroscopy (WMS) platform. The WMS sensor board, previously developed for near-IR lasers, will be redesigned to accommodate QCL lasers. The QCL will be specially designed and fabricated for minimum power consumption. In Phase 1 the QCL was incorporated into the WMS platform and tested on a breadboard level. The breadboard sensor demonstrated the necessary dynamic range and easily surpassed the required minimum sensitivity. A Phase II prototype design was made based on the Phase I results for which dynamic range, sensitivity, SWaP, and operation with a high degree of reliability, minimal maintenance, and self-calibration under varying humidity and ambient pressures are primary design features. The sensor prototype will be tested in a relevant environment with controlled burns at a NASA test facility. Upon successful completion of all field tests, the TRL will be 6 at the end of Phase II.","benefits":"The work reported herein represents the successful adaptation of PSI's wavelength modulation spectroscopy (WMS) system to incorporate the QC laser technology. This is the first step toward a successful Phase 3 implementation. First, the QC lasers for CO sensing are offered for sale by Maxion along with QC lasers for chemical sensing of other molecular species. Secondly, the incorporation of the QC lasers into PSI's WMS-board-based detection system will allow for more rapid commercialization of the combined technologies (the WMS board with the QCL source and other components) as it leverages the already well recognized potential of the QC lasers for chemical sensing. The combination of an integrated PC-board based sensing system and the commercial availability of the QC lasers will allow commercial users to more quickly develop the QC-WMS technique to chemical sensing applications of significant commercial interest. Faster commercial development for niche applications will promote volume pricing leading to accelerated adoption of the technology in higher volume applications.The NASA SBIR and STTR programs fund the research, development, and demonstration of innovative technologies that fulfill NASA needs as described in the annual Solicitations and have significant potential for successful commercialization. If you are a small business concern (SBC) with 500 or fewer employees or a non-profit RI such as a university or a research laboratory with ties to an SBC, then NASA encourages you to learn more about the SBIR and STTR programs as a potential source of seed funding for the development of your innovations.
The SBIR and STTR programs have 3 phases:
The SBIR and STTR Phase I contracts last for 6 months with a maximum funding of $125,000, and Phase II contracts last for 24 months with a maximum funding of $750,000 - $1.5 million.
Opportunity for Continued Technology Development Post-Phase II:
The NASA SBIR/STTR Program currently has in place two initiatives for supporting its small business partners past the basic Phase I and Phase II elements of the program that emphasize opportunities for commercialization. Specifically, the NASA SBIR/STTR Program has the Phase II Enhancement (Phase II-E) and Phase II eXpanded (Phase II-X) contract options.
Please review the links below to obtain more information on the SBIR/STTR programs.
Provides an overview of the SBIR and STTR programs as implemented by NASA
Provides access to the annual SBIR/STTR Solicitations containing detailed information on the program eligibility requirements, proposal instructions and research topics and subtopics
Schedule and links for the SBIR/STTR solicitations and selection announcements
Federal and non-Federal sources of assistance for small business
Search our complete archive of awarded project abstracts to learn about what NASA has funded
Still have questions? Visit the program FAQs
","parentProgram":{"ableToSelect":false,"isActive":true,"description":"Catalyst is a portfolio of early stage programs that specialize in different innovation constituencies and mechanisms to push the state of the art in aerospace technology development","programId":92327,"responsibleMd":{"canUserEdit":false,"locationEdit":false,"organizationRolePretty":"","organizationTypePretty":""},"title":"Catalyst","manageGaps":false,"acronymOrTitle":"Catalyst"},"parentProgramId":92327,"programId":73,"responsibleMd":{"organizationId":4875,"organizationName":"Space Technology Mission Directorate","acronym":"STMD","organizationType":"NASA_Mission_Directorate","canUserEdit":false,"locationEdit":false,"organizationRolePretty":"","organizationTypePretty":"NASA Mission Directorate"},"responsibleMdOffice":4875,"stockImageFileId":36648,"title":"Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Tech Transfer","manageGaps":false,"acronymOrTitle":"SBIR/STTR"},"description":"Maxion Technologies, Inc. (Maxion) proposes to develop and field test a Carbon Monoxide (CO)-sensor prototype for post fire cleanup and CO detection. The sensor will have the dynamic range required to detect and monitor CO from approximately 1 to 500 ppmv with a resolution to 1 ppmv. Maxion will grow, fabricate and test a Quantum Cascade Laser (QCL) at a unique single-mode wavelength ideal for CO detection. Maxion will team with Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) to integrate the QCL into PSI's Wavelength Modulation Spectroscopy (WMS) platform. The WMS sensor board, previously developed for near-IR lasers, will be redesigned to accommodate QCL lasers. The QCL will be specially designed and fabricated for minimum power consumption. In Phase 1 the QCL was incorporated into the WMS platform and tested on a breadboard level. The breadboard sensor demonstrated the necessary dynamic range and easily surpassed the required minimum sensitivity. A Phase II prototype design was made based on the Phase I results for which dynamic range, sensitivity, SWaP, and operation with a high degree of reliability, minimal maintenance, and self-calibration under varying humidity and ambient pressures are primary design features. The sensor prototype will be tested in a relevant environment with controlled burns at a NASA test facility. Upon successful completion of all field tests, the TRL will be 6 at the end of Phase II.","benefits":"The work reported herein represents the successful adaptation of PSI's wavelength modulation spectroscopy (WMS) system to incorporate the QC laser technology. This is the first step toward a successful Phase 3 implementation. First, the QC lasers for CO sensing are offered for sale by Maxion along with QC lasers for chemical sensing of other molecular species. Secondly, the incorporation of the QC lasers into PSI's WMS-board-based detection system will allow for more rapid commercialization of the combined technologies (the WMS board with the QCL source and other components) as it leverages the already well recognized potential of the QC lasers for chemical sensing. The combination of an integrated PC-board based sensing system and the commercial availability of the QC lasers will allow commercial users to more quickly develop the QC-WMS technique to chemical sensing applications of significant commercial interest. Faster commercial development for niche applications will promote volume pricing leading to accelerated adoption of the technology in higher volume applications.The NASA SBIR and STTR programs fund the research, development, and demonstration of innovative technologies that fulfill NASA needs as described in the annual Solicitations and have significant potential for successful commercialization. If you are a small business concern (SBC) with 500 or fewer employees or a non-profit RI such as a university or a research laboratory with ties to an SBC, then NASA encourages you to learn more about the SBIR and STTR programs as a potential source of seed funding for the development of your innovations.
The SBIR and STTR programs have 3 phases:
The SBIR and STTR Phase I contracts last for 6 months with a maximum funding of $125,000, and Phase II contracts last for 24 months with a maximum funding of $750,000 - $1.5 million.
Opportunity for Continued Technology Development Post-Phase II:
The NASA SBIR/STTR Program currently has in place two initiatives for supporting its small business partners past the basic Phase I and Phase II elements of the program that emphasize opportunities for commercialization. Specifically, the NASA SBIR/STTR Program has the Phase II Enhancement (Phase II-E) and Phase II eXpanded (Phase II-X) contract options.
Please review the links below to obtain more information on the SBIR/STTR programs.
Provides an overview of the SBIR and STTR programs as implemented by NASA
Provides access to the annual SBIR/STTR Solicitations containing detailed information on the program eligibility requirements, proposal instructions and research topics and subtopics
Schedule and links for the SBIR/STTR solicitations and selection announcements
Federal and non-Federal sources of assistance for small business
Search our complete archive of awarded project abstracts to learn about what NASA has funded
Still have questions? Visit the program FAQs
","parentProgram":{"ableToSelect":false,"isActive":true,"description":"Catalyst is a portfolio of early stage programs that specialize in different innovation constituencies and mechanisms to push the state of the art in aerospace technology development","programId":92327,"responsibleMd":{"canUserEdit":false,"locationEdit":false,"organizationRolePretty":"","organizationTypePretty":""},"title":"Catalyst","manageGaps":false,"acronymOrTitle":"Catalyst"},"parentProgramId":92327,"programId":73,"responsibleMd":{"organizationId":4875,"organizationName":"Space Technology Mission Directorate","acronym":"STMD","organizationType":"NASA_Mission_Directorate","canUserEdit":false,"locationEdit":false,"organizationRolePretty":"","organizationTypePretty":"NASA Mission Directorate"},"responsibleMdOffice":4875,"stockImageFileId":36648,"title":"Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Tech Transfer","manageGaps":false,"acronymOrTitle":"SBIR/STTR"},"description":"Maxion Technologies and Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) propose to jointly develop a compact, rugged, highly reliable, and autonomous sensor for in-situ monitoring of CO in spacecraft crew areas for fire warning. Our innovation is to combine a custom fabricated Quantum Cascade Laser (QCL) with PSI's proprietary single board electronics package that incorporates both a high sensitivity optical detection technique and all system control functions, to create a laser spectrometer for CO. The advent of QCLs enables the development of a very compact and highly sensitive monitor. This technical approach will result in a sensor that has the requisite dynamic range of 1 to 500 ppmv with a precision of 1 ppmv CO, in a physically robust and compact package. The Phase I program will demonstrate the feasibility of a breadboard sensor and create a detailed conceptual design for an advanced prototype. The TRL at the beginning of Phase I is level 2 and the TRL at the end of Phase I will be level 4. The Phase II program will fabricate a prototype that can be demonstrated at a relevant simulator. The TRL at the end of Phase II will be level 6. Successful completion of Phases I and II will result in a rigorously validated prototype sensor that can monitor ambient CO with high speed and precision. The sensor architecture can be easily modified to measure other species.","benefits":"The QCL-based sensor will serve as a platform for a suite of compact and low cost gas sensors that can address a variety of applications ranging from air quality monitoring and other atmospheric research tools to combustion emissions monitoring, carbon sequestration monitoring and verification, biomedical diagnostics (specifically breath analysis and operating room health monitoring), home or mobile toxic gas alarms, smart HVAC control, and as a total hydrocarbon sensor for environmental and process control applications. Maxion and PSI anticipate working with several strategic marketing partners to address the large range of potential commercial applications. Maxion Technologies will make the single mode Quantum Cascade Laser developed in Phase 1 commercially available for insertion into other laser-based chemical sensors by NASA developers and/or other government and commercial concerns. Development of the single-mode QCL described in the proposal will generate high performance, room temperature laser material suitable for other laser-based chemical sensing applications within the technologically important hydrocarbon, CO and CO2 spectral regions.The NASA SBIR and STTR programs fund the research, development, and demonstration of innovative technologies that fulfill NASA needs as described in the annual Solicitations and have significant potential for successful commercialization. If you are a small business concern (SBC) with 500 or fewer employees or a non-profit RI such as a university or a research laboratory with ties to an SBC, then NASA encourages you to learn more about the SBIR and STTR programs as a potential source of seed funding for the development of your innovations.
The SBIR and STTR programs have 3 phases:
The SBIR and STTR Phase I contracts last for 6 months with a maximum funding of $125,000, and Phase II contracts last for 24 months with a maximum funding of $750,000 - $1.5 million.
Opportunity for Continued Technology Development Post-Phase II:
The NASA SBIR/STTR Program currently has in place two initiatives for supporting its small business partners past the basic Phase I and Phase II elements of the program that emphasize opportunities for commercialization. Specifically, the NASA SBIR/STTR Program has the Phase II Enhancement (Phase II-E) and Phase II eXpanded (Phase II-X) contract options.
Please review the links below to obtain more information on the SBIR/STTR programs.
Provides an overview of the SBIR and STTR programs as implemented by NASA
Provides access to the annual SBIR/STTR Solicitations containing detailed information on the program eligibility requirements, proposal instructions and research topics and subtopics
Schedule and links for the SBIR/STTR solicitations and selection announcements
Federal and non-Federal sources of assistance for small business
Search our complete archive of awarded project abstracts to learn about what NASA has funded
Still have questions? Visit the program FAQs
","parentProgram":{"ableToSelect":false,"isActive":true,"description":"Catalyst is a portfolio of early stage programs that specialize in different innovation constituencies and mechanisms to push the state of the art in aerospace technology development","programId":92327,"responsibleMd":{"canUserEdit":false,"locationEdit":false,"organizationRolePretty":"","organizationTypePretty":""},"title":"Catalyst","manageGaps":false,"acronymOrTitle":"Catalyst"},"parentProgramId":92327,"programId":73,"responsibleMd":{"organizationId":4875,"organizationName":"Space Technology Mission Directorate","acronym":"STMD","organizationType":"NASA_Mission_Directorate","canUserEdit":false,"locationEdit":false,"organizationRolePretty":"","organizationTypePretty":"NASA Mission Directorate"},"responsibleMdOffice":4875,"stockImageFileId":36648,"title":"Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Tech Transfer","manageGaps":false,"acronymOrTitle":"SBIR/STTR"},"description":"Maxion Technologies, Inc. (Maxion) proposes to develop and field test a Carbon Monoxide (CO)-sensor prototype for post fire cleanup and CO detection. The sensor will have the dynamic range required to detect and monitor CO from approximately 1 to 500 ppmv with a resolution to 1 ppmv. Maxion will grow, fabricate and test a Quantum Cascade Laser (QCL) at a unique single-mode wavelength ideal for CO detection. Maxion will team with Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) to integrate the QCL into PSI's Wavelength Modulation Spectroscopy (WMS) platform. The WMS sensor board, previously developed for near-IR lasers, will be redesigned to accommodate QCL lasers. The QCL will be specially designed and fabricated for minimum power consumption. In Phase 1 the QCL was incorporated into the WMS platform and tested on a breadboard level. The breadboard sensor demonstrated the necessary dynamic range and easily surpassed the required minimum sensitivity. A Phase II prototype design was made based on the Phase I results for which dynamic range, sensitivity, SWaP, and operation with a high degree of reliability, minimal maintenance, and self-calibration under varying humidity and ambient pressures are primary design features. The sensor prototype will be tested in a relevant environment with controlled burns at a NASA test facility. Upon successful completion of all field tests, the TRL will be 6 at the end of Phase II.","benefits":"The work reported herein represents the successful adaptation of PSI's wavelength modulation spectroscopy (WMS) system to incorporate the QC laser technology. This is the first step toward a successful Phase 3 implementation. First, the QC lasers for CO sensing are offered for sale by Maxion along with QC lasers for chemical sensing of other molecular species. Secondly, the incorporation of the QC lasers into PSI's WMS-board-based detection system will allow for more rapid commercialization of the combined technologies (the WMS board with the QCL source and other components) as it leverages the already well recognized potential of the QC lasers for chemical sensing. The combination of an integrated PC-board based sensing system and the commercial availability of the QC lasers will allow commercial users to more quickly develop the QC-WMS technique to chemical sensing applications of significant commercial interest. Faster commercial development for niche applications will promote volume pricing leading to accelerated adoption of the technology in higher volume applications.The NASA SBIR and STTR programs fund the research, development, and demonstration of innovative technologies that fulfill NASA needs as described in the annual Solicitations and have significant potential for successful commercialization. If you are a small business concern (SBC) with 500 or fewer employees or a non-profit RI such as a university or a research laboratory with ties to an SBC, then NASA encourages you to learn more about the SBIR and STTR programs as a potential source of seed funding for the development of your innovations.
The SBIR and STTR programs have 3 phases:
The SBIR and STTR Phase I contracts last for 6 months with a maximum funding of $125,000, and Phase II contracts last for 24 months with a maximum funding of $750,000 - $1.5 million.
Opportunity for Continued Technology Development Post-Phase II:
The NASA SBIR/STTR Program currently has in place two initiatives for supporting its small business partners past the basic Phase I and Phase II elements of the program that emphasize opportunities for commercialization. Specifically, the NASA SBIR/STTR Program has the Phase II Enhancement (Phase II-E) and Phase II eXpanded (Phase II-X) contract options.
Please review the links below to obtain more information on the SBIR/STTR programs.
Provides an overview of the SBIR and STTR programs as implemented by NASA
Provides access to the annual SBIR/STTR Solicitations containing detailed information on the program eligibility requirements, proposal instructions and research topics and subtopics
Schedule and links for the SBIR/STTR solicitations and selection announcements
Federal and non-Federal sources of assistance for small business
Search our complete archive of awarded project abstracts to learn about what NASA has funded
Still have questions? Visit the program FAQs
","parentProgram":{"ableToSelect":false,"isActive":true,"description":"Catalyst is a portfolio of early stage programs that specialize in different innovation constituencies and mechanisms to push the state of the art in aerospace technology development","programId":92327,"responsibleMd":{"canUserEdit":false,"locationEdit":false,"organizationRolePretty":"","organizationTypePretty":""},"title":"Catalyst","manageGaps":false,"acronymOrTitle":"Catalyst"},"parentProgramId":92327,"programId":73,"responsibleMd":{"organizationId":4875,"organizationName":"Space Technology Mission Directorate","acronym":"STMD","organizationType":"NASA_Mission_Directorate","canUserEdit":false,"locationEdit":false,"organizationRolePretty":"","organizationTypePretty":"NASA Mission Directorate"},"responsibleMdOffice":4875,"stockImageFileId":36648,"title":"Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Tech Transfer","manageGaps":false,"acronymOrTitle":"SBIR/STTR"},"description":"Maxion Technologies, Inc. (Maxion) proposes to develop and field test a Carbon Monoxide (CO)-sensor prototype for post fire cleanup and CO detection. The sensor will have the dynamic range required to detect and monitor CO from approximately 1 to 500 ppmv with a resolution to 1 ppmv. Maxion will grow, fabricate and test a Quantum Cascade Laser (QCL) at a unique single-mode wavelength ideal for CO detection. Maxion will team with Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) to integrate the QCL into PSI's Wavelength Modulation Spectroscopy (WMS) platform. The WMS sensor board, previously developed for near-IR lasers, will be redesigned to accommodate QCL lasers. The QCL will be specially designed and fabricated for minimum power consumption. In Phase 1 the QCL was incorporated into the WMS platform and tested on a breadboard level. The breadboard sensor demonstrated the necessary dynamic range and easily surpassed the required minimum sensitivity. A Phase II prototype design was made based on the Phase I results for which dynamic range, sensitivity, SWaP, and operation with a high degree of reliability, minimal maintenance, and self-calibration under varying humidity and ambient pressures are primary design features. The sensor prototype will be tested in a relevant environment with controlled burns at a NASA test facility. Upon successful completion of all field tests, the TRL will be 6 at the end of Phase II.","benefits":"The work reported herein represents the successful adaptation of PSI's wavelength modulation spectroscopy (WMS) system to incorporate the QC laser technology. This is the first step toward a successful Phase 3 implementation. First, the QC lasers for CO sensing are offered for sale by Maxion along with QC lasers for chemical sensing of other molecular species. Secondly, the incorporation of the QC lasers into PSI's WMS-board-based detection system will allow for more rapid commercialization of the combined technologies (the WMS board with the QCL source and other components) as it leverages the already well recognized potential of the QC lasers for chemical sensing. The combination of an integrated PC-board based sensing system and the commercial availability of the QC lasers will allow commercial users to more quickly develop the QC-WMS technique to chemical sensing applications of significant commercial interest. Faster commercial development for niche applications will promote volume pricing leading to accelerated adoption of the technology in higher volume applications.The NASA SBIR and STTR programs fund the research, development, and demonstration of innovative technologies that fulfill NASA needs as described in the annual Solicitations and have significant potential for successful commercialization. If you are a small business concern (SBC) with 500 or fewer employees or a non-profit RI such as a university or a research laboratory with ties to an SBC, then NASA encourages you to learn more about the SBIR and STTR programs as a potential source of seed funding for the development of your innovations.
The SBIR and STTR programs have 3 phases:
The SBIR and STTR Phase I contracts last for 6 months with a maximum funding of $125,000, and Phase II contracts last for 24 months with a maximum funding of $750,000 - $1.5 million.
Opportunity for Continued Technology Development Post-Phase II:
The NASA SBIR/STTR Program currently has in place two initiatives for supporting its small business partners past the basic Phase I and Phase II elements of the program that emphasize opportunities for commercialization. Specifically, the NASA SBIR/STTR Program has the Phase II Enhancement (Phase II-E) and Phase II eXpanded (Phase II-X) contract options.
Please review the links below to obtain more information on the SBIR/STTR programs.
Provides an overview of the SBIR and STTR programs as implemented by NASA
Provides access to the annual SBIR/STTR Solicitations containing detailed information on the program eligibility requirements, proposal instructions and research topics and subtopics
Schedule and links for the SBIR/STTR solicitations and selection announcements
Federal and non-Federal sources of assistance for small business
Search our complete archive of awarded project abstracts to learn about what NASA has funded
Still have questions? Visit the program FAQs
","parentProgram":{"ableToSelect":false,"isActive":true,"description":"Catalyst is a portfolio of early stage programs that specialize in different innovation constituencies and mechanisms to push the state of the art in aerospace technology development","programId":92327,"responsibleMd":{"canUserEdit":false,"locationEdit":false,"organizationRolePretty":"","organizationTypePretty":""},"title":"Catalyst","manageGaps":false,"acronymOrTitle":"Catalyst"},"parentProgramId":92327,"programId":73,"responsibleMd":{"organizationId":4875,"organizationName":"Space Technology Mission Directorate","acronym":"STMD","organizationType":"NASA_Mission_Directorate","canUserEdit":false,"locationEdit":false,"organizationRolePretty":"","organizationTypePretty":"NASA Mission Directorate"},"responsibleMdOffice":4875,"stockImageFileId":36648,"title":"Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Tech Transfer","manageGaps":false,"acronymOrTitle":"SBIR/STTR"},"description":"Maxion Technologies and Physical Sciences Inc. (PSI) propose to jointly develop a compact, rugged, highly reliable, and autonomous sensor for in-situ monitoring of CO in spacecraft crew areas for fire warning. Our innovation is to combine a custom fabricated Quantum Cascade Laser (QCL) with PSI's proprietary single board electronics package that incorporates both a high sensitivity optical detection technique and all system control functions, to create a laser spectrometer for CO. The advent of QCLs enables the development of a very compact and highly sensitive monitor. This technical approach will result in a sensor that has the requisite dynamic range of 1 to 500 ppmv with a precision of 1 ppmv CO, in a physically robust and compact package. The Phase I program will demonstrate the feasibility of a breadboard sensor and create a detailed conceptual design for an advanced prototype. The TRL at the beginning of Phase I is level 2 and the TRL at the end of Phase I will be level 4. The Phase II program will fabricate a prototype that can be demonstrated at a relevant simulator. The TRL at the end of Phase II will be level 6. Successful completion of Phases I and II will result in a rigorously validated prototype sensor that can monitor ambient CO with high speed and precision. The sensor architecture can be easily modified to measure other species.","benefits":"The QCL-based sensor will serve as a platform for a suite of compact and low cost gas sensors that can address a variety of applications ranging from air quality monitoring and other atmospheric research tools to combustion emissions monitoring, carbon sequestration monitoring and verification, biomedical diagnostics (specifically breath analysis and operating room health monitoring), home or mobile toxic gas alarms, smart HVAC control, and as a total hydrocarbon sensor for environmental and process control applications. Maxion and PSI anticipate working with several strategic marketing partners to address the large range of potential commercial applications. Maxion Technologies will make the single mode Quantum Cascade Laser developed in Phase 1 commercially available for insertion into other laser-based chemical sensors by NASA developers and/or other government and commercial concerns. Development of the single-mode QCL described in the proposal will generate high performance, room temperature laser material suitable for other laser-based chemical sensing applications within the technologically important hydrocarbon, CO and CO2 spectral regions.