Next-Generation Deformable Mirrors for Astronomical Coronagraphy by Utilizing PMN-PT Single Crystal Stack Actuators in integration with Driver ASIC

This SBIR Phase II project aims to develop innovative manufacturing methods for batch fabrication of single crystal PMN-PT stack actuator deformable mirrors (DM) at low cost of up to one order of magnitude reduction to those offered by the state-of-the-art manufacturing techniques. The methods, being applicable to produce high-performance deformable mirrors with a large variety of pixel densities and actuator counts, are also proposed to seamlessly integrate the DM manufacturing process with a novel large-scale driver ASIC, hence an enhancement of the proposed batch manufacturing process by reliably packaging DMs with high yield, zero failure pixel, and with high optical qualities, and on top of these offering the demanded high-resolution mirror surface control. Low payload, high performance, low cost, and low power, are the four keys that can lead a DM to successful implementation into NASA's high-performance systems. For lab testing, concept inspiration, and concept validation, the AO communities need high-performance but low-cost DMs to study wide variety of AO concepts on a tight budget and in a timely fashion; on the other hand, once an AO concept is approved, a space-based adaptive optics system will additionally demand low payload and low power dissipation for space-based deployment. The proposed DM manufacturing and ASIC integration aims to develop DMs to meet the two staged needs through one joint DM-ASIC development program.