THE CALIBRATED OBSERVATIONS OF RADIANCE SPECTRA FROM THE ATMOSPHERE IN THE FAR-INFRARED (CORSAIR) PROJECT H…

Public award description

THE CALIBRATED OBSERVATIONS OF RADIANCE SPECTRA FROM THE ATMOSPHERE IN THE FAR-INFRARED (CORSAIR) PROJECT HAS BEEN ESTABLISHED TO PROVIDE FAR-INFRARED DETECTORS THAT DO NOT REQUIRE CRYOGENIC COOLING TO LIQUID NITROGEN OR LIQUID HELIUM TEMPERATURES FOR THE FUTURE NATIONAL AERONAUTICS AND SPACE ADMINISTRATION (NASA) CLIMATE ABSOLUTE RADIANCE AND REFRACTIVITY OBSERVATORY (CLARREO) MISSION. THE CLARREO MISSION WAS DEFINED BY THE RECENT NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCE DECADAL SURVEY. THE FUNDAMENTAL MEASUREMENT TO BE MADE AS PART OF THE CLARREO MISSION IS OF THE SPECTRALLY RESOLVED INFRARED RADIANCE (W CM-2 SR-1 CM-1) OF THE EARTH AND ITS ATMOSPHERE. IN PARTICULAR, MEASUREMENTS OF THE FAR-INFRARED SPECTRUM BETWEEN 15 AND 50 MICROMETERS IN WAVELENGTH ARE REQUIRED TO MEET THE CLARREO OBJECTIVES. THE CLARREO INFRARED RADIANCE MEASUREMENTS ARE INTENDED TO BE MADE ACROSS ESSENTIALLY THE ENTIRE INFRARED SPECTRUM FROM 5 TO 50 MICROMETERS. MEASURING THE FAR-INFRARED PORTION OF THE SPECTRUM PRESENTS PARTICULAR CHALLENGES. THE DETECTORS TYPICALLY USED REQUIRE COOLING TO 4 KELVIN (4 DEGREES ABOVE ABSOLUTE ZERO) AND NECESSITATE LIQUID HELIUM TO ACHIEVE THESE TEMPERATURES. IT IS IMPRACTICAL TO CONSIDER COOLING DETECTORS FOR CLARREO WITH LIQUID HELIUM BECAUSE THE DURATION OF THE MISSION (SEVERAL YEARS) WOULD NECESSITATE A PROHIBITIVELY LARGE VOLUME OF LIQUID HELIUM TO BE CARRIED INTO SPACE ON A SATELLITE. THERE ARE AVAILABLE CONVENTIONAL (OFF-THE-SHELF) DETECTORS (PYROELECTRIC AND MICROBOLOMETERS) THAT ARE SENSITIVE IN THE FAR-INFRARED BUT THESE ARE NOT APPLICABLE TO MEETING THE CLARREO MISSION REQUIREMENTS DUE TO THEIR RELATIVELY LOW SENSITIVITY. THUS TO MEET THE CLARREO OBJECTIVES A NEW CLASS OF FAR-INFRARED DETECTORS MUST BE DEVELOPED. THIS SOW FOCUSES ON THE DEVELOPMENT OF DETECTORS FOR FAR-INFRARED (FAR-IR) WAVELENGTHS BETWEEN 15 AND 50 MICROMETERS THAT CAN OPERATE WITHOUT CRYOGENIC COOLING. THE WORK WILL FOCUS ON THE DEVELOPMENT AND DEMONSTRATION AT TECHNOLOGY READINESS LEVEL 6 (TRL-6) ANTENNA-COUPLED TERAHERTZ DETECTOR (ACTD) DEVICES CAPABLE OF MEETING THE CLARREO MISSION MEASUREMENT OBJECTIVES. THE NEW ACTD DEVICES WILL BE EVALUATED DURING YEAR 3 OF THE EFFORT IN THE EXISTING FAR-INFRARED SPECTROSCOPY OF THE TROPOSPHERE (FIRST) INSTRUMENT AT NASA LANGLEY. DURING THE PILOT PHASE THE CONTRACTOR SHALL FABRICATE DETECTORS TO DEMONSTRATE PROOF OF CONCEPT AND ABILITY TO MEET THE PERFORMANCE REQUIREMENTS. TESTING AND EVALUATION OF THE DEVICES FABRICATED DURING THIS PHASE SHALL BE DONE AT THE CONTRACTOR S FACILITIES. A CRITICAL DESIGN REVIEW (CDR) WILL BE CONDUCTED DURING THIS PHASE. THE DESIGNS SHALL BE BASED ON THE CONTRACTOR S PROOF-OF-CONCEPT ACTD THAT HAS ALREADY ACHIEVED A TRL OF 3 WITH A SPECIFIC DETECTIVITY (D*) OF 4.2 X 109 CM /W WHEN MEASURED AT ROOM TEMPERATURE. THE DETECTOR(S) TO BE MANUFACTURED UNDER THIS CONTRACT SHALL OPERATE UNCOOLED. THE CONTRACTOR SHALL MODEL THEIR MICRO-ANTENNA DESIGN AND DEMONSTRATE THAT THE REQUIRED D* OF 1.0X1010 CM /W REQUIRED BY CLARREO CAN BE MET. THE CONTRACTOR SHALL ALSO TEST THE ACTD DEVICES FOR NON-LINEARITY AS PART OF THE EVALUATION PROCESS. THE ACTD SHALL OPERATE OVER A WIDE RANGE OF WAVELENGTHS. THE COMPLETION OF WORK PERFORMED BY THE CONTRACTOR IN PHASE I SHOULD BRING THE TECHNOLOGY TO TRL 4. DURING PHASE I THE CONTRACTOR ALSO SHALL WORK WITH NASA LARC TO DEFINE THE MECHANICAL, THERMAL, AND ELECTRICAL INTERFACE FOR THE ACTD DEVICES TO THE FIRST INSTRUMENT. DURING PHASE II, THE PROTOTYPE PHASE, THE CONTRACTOR SHALL FABRICATE, ASSEMBLE, PACKAGE, AND TEST ACTD DETECTORS CAPABLE OF MEETING THE REQUIREMENTS. THE CONTRACTOR SHALL PACKAGE THE DETECTORS FOR DELIVERY TO NASA LANGLEY FOR INTEGRATION AND TEST IN THE FIRST INSTRUMENT. (THE TESTING AT LANGLEY IN FIRST WILL BE CONDUCTED IN PHASE III). TESTING PERFORMED ON THESE DEVICES AT THE CONTRACTOR S FACILITIES, PRIOR TO SHIPMENT TO LANGLEY, SHALL DEMONSTRATE THAT THE DEVICES ARE AT TRL 5. THE CONTRACTOR SHALL CONDUCT A PRE-SHIP REVIEW