Small Business Innovation Research/Small Business Tech Transfer
Miniature Optical Isolator, Phase II
Project Description
To address NASA's need for compact optical isolators, Physical Optics Corporation (POC) proposes to continue the development of a new Miniature Optical Isolator (MOI). The novel optical isolator design is based on enhanced magneto-optical (MO) effects in magnetic photonic crystals. The innovation in the technology is its capacity to engineer MO effects not only by choosing the right material but also by adjusting the lattice parameters of 1 dimensional photonic crystals. While occupying a very small volume (~0.1 cm^3), a MOI device will achieve high optical transmission (2 dB or less forward loss) and excellent optical isolation (40 dB) at target wavelengths at a low cost. Therefore, the MOI technology directly addresses NASA's requirements for a compact, robust optical isolator for applications in cold atom systems. In Phase I, POC demonstrated the feasibility of the MOI technology through modeling and analysis, as well as fabrication of a proof-of-concept prototype with basic performance parameters characterized. In Phase II, POC will further optimize the device and fabricate prototypes for validation of key performance metrics, as well as evaluate life cycle and environmental performance.
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Anticipated Benefits
The primary NASA applications of the proposed MOI system are in metrology, magnetometry, and inertial navigation. NASA applications inherently require miniaturization of all system components. Frequency stabilized lasers are currently used in atomic clocks. Next-generation magnetometers and inertial navigation sensors also need optical isolation of the laser sources. In any NASA application that requires frequency stabilized lasers, MOI devices can replace bulky optical isolators to reduce the volume by a factor of >100. Metrology and inertial navigation are important in various military and civilian applications. Laboratory demonstrations already have shown that cold-atom systems are superior to any other technologies for navigation and timing applications. However, the biggest hurdle in transitioning this technology into field-deployable units is quite often the sheer volume and weight of the system. To take full advantage of the extraordinary performance of cold atom systems, miniaturization of individual components is necessary. Other than metrology and navigation, optical isolators also have significant commercial applications in diverse fields, such as optical telecommunication, magneto-optic imaging, and gas sensing.
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Primary U.S. Work Locations and Key Partners
| Organizations Performing Work | Role | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| Physical Optics Corporation | Lead Organization | Industry | Torrance, California |
| Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) | Supporting Organization | FFRDC/UARC | Pasadena, California |
Primary U.S. Work Locations
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California
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