Advanced Canopy and Window Materials for Improved Helicopter and Aircrew Survivability

Radio systems play an increasing role in our military and civilian infrastructure, and many of these systems are vulnerable to accidental and malevolent electromagnetic attack. Malevolent EMI attacks on aircraft are not a new threat, and will probably increase in our society due to wide spread availability of electronic hardware and the increasing use of wireless devices. Protection from laser threats has become increasingly important due to the availability of laser sources (continuous and pulsed) over a broad range of wavelengths. This is particularly the case where table top femtosecond laser pulses (~50femtoseconds) with peak powers reaching the Terawatt scale are commercially available in the visible and near infrared. The military uses many laser systems (e.g., training devices, range finders, target designators, communications devices) that emit potentially eye damaging radiation. Because equipment and personnel risk exposure to these threats, a growing need exists for EMI protection of electrical equipment and eye protection at a variety of wavelengths for both CW and pulsed laser sources. Improving the resistance of helicopter canopies and windows to threats from both radio frequency energy and laser effects while maintaining or improving system functionality can protect equipment and personnel. The objective of this proposal is to develop transparent metallo-dielectric multilayer stacks that functions both as an EMI and a laser eye protection coating. We will design and construct multilayer stacks that provide a high transparency window in the visible spectrum but block both UV and IR light. The coating will have sufficient conductivity to offer EMI control and sufficient optical density to protect the eye from damage by laser radiation in these two spectral regions. As part of the Phase I effort we will build and test these stacks on both rigid and flexible substrates in order to provide a wide variety of protection applications. The Phase I work will also produce a technology development and demonstrate plan for the proposed solution that will be executed in Phase II.