Solid State Raman Image Amplifier

This Small Business Innovative Research Phase I project will focus on the development of a compact, rugged, low-maintenance, cost-effective, all Solid-State Raman Image Amplifier (SSRIA) capable of amplifying low-level LIDAR images and producing gated images with potential gate times of less than a nanosecond. The innovative technology to be implemented is based on a solid-state stimulated Raman scattering technique developed by our team. This proposal describes the unique features of this new solid-state technique for producing gated images and we will show how this technique can be applied to produce a new active sensor which can be used for target detection, tracking, recognition, and identification. The SSRIA has the potential of producing high-resolution, high gain images of target scenes through smoke and clouds with range resolution of less than a foot. The SSRIA can be seen as a low-cost alternative to microchannel plate image intensifiers and streak tubes which require complicated, bulky, and expensive high voltage electronics modules for operation. The SSRIA has the potential to be a better, simpler, cost-effective replacement for present day image intensifiers and streak tubes, especially in the infrared where photocathode based intensifiers suffer from poor quantum efficiency. SSRIA has the potential for a host of commercial applications such as surveillance and collision avoidance.