Rad-Tol Innovative Integrated Optical Driver for Ultra-Low-Loss IMU Miniaturization

Intelligent Fiber Optic Systems (IFOS) Corporation proposes to leverage its prior Missile Defense Agency (MDA) projects to design, fabricate, demonstrate, and evaluate a radiation-tolerant (Rad-Tol) photonic integrated circuit (PIC)-based integrated optical driver (IOD) as a mission-critical enabler for Size, Weight, and Power (SWaP)?C reduction and miniaturization of key avionics systems. The IFOS IOD PIC chip will be integrated and tested for Rad-Tol system performance together with an IFOS fiber-optic gyroscope (FOG) for high bandwidth and ultra-low noise performance with support from collaborators. The system will be flight tested using a designated flight opportunity. Leading up to the flight testing will be a suite of accelerated reliability testing such as thermal cycling, damp heat, shock and vibration testing according to MIL STD 810-G. Potential applications include a variety of navigation, guidance and tracking applications, as well as space-based sensors and systems requiring Rad-Tol performance certification. The IFOS Rad-Tol IOD system can also provide a scalable technology platform for emerging and highly demanding systems to keep pace with the growth in high-speed systems. Developing radiation-resistant PICs requires a great deal of attention to design details in addition to more specific and tailored testing efforts than conventional microelectronics. Learnings from these efforts will be essential in providing guidance to the IFOS team for prioritization and optimal concepts for design and testing of its novel miniaturized PIC-based IOD device; such learnings will also guide system integration into the FOG package in a compact, robust and sufficiently radiation-tolerant embodiment. The IFOS chip-based solution with active and passive optical components integrated on one chip offers the perspective to enhanced ruggedness, leveraging expertise from decades of electronic chip integration experience. Potential on-ramps will be investigated: (a) Integration of IFOS PIC IOD chip with select guidance, navigation, control systems for flight testing; and (b) Flight testing of IFOS’s low-SWaP-C, PIC-enabled integrated FOG system. Approved for Public Release | 25-MDA-12220 (23 Sep 25)