Deterministic Finishing of Domes with Embedded Grids

Current state-of-the-art seeker designs have evolved toward tri-mode operation in order to provide a high level of target discrimination in all weather conditions. The three modes typically include a laser designator which operates at 1.06 micron, an IR band and an RF band. Furthermore, for operational reasons, the dome must be hardened against broadband RF signals originating from outside of the missile. One method of producing a dome with such capabilities is to have a specially designed grid embedded within the dome, located at a precise distance from the inner and outer surfaces in such a way that the combination of dielectric layers and grid combine to make an RF resonant structure. In this SBIR Phase I program, Surmet proposes to correctly place the grid in the ALON green body, to monitor its position through subsequent processing steps in order to ensure that the grid ends up at the correct and uniform radius over the entire clear aperture of the dome. Finally, we will determine the position of the grid in the fully fired dome blank, and accurately fabricate the inner and outer surfaces of the dome about this grid to produce the desired structure.