SBIR Phase I: Ultra-fast Broadband Imaging Spectroscopy for Geosciences Applications

The Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Phase I project proposes to fabricate ultra-fast imaging spectroscope for applications in geosciences. One of the key components in a hyperspectral imaging system is the tunable filter. Existing mechanical tunable filter are usually heavy, bulky, slow and unreliable, while those liquid crystal based are slow and limited in terms of useful spectral range. The company proposes to develop an ultra-fast broadband tunable filter based on the recently invented electro-optic ceramics. These electro-optic effect based tunable filters are intrinsically fast (micro-second response), with superior transparency for wide spectral range (from visible to mid-IR) and ceramics rugged for airborne application. The proposed unique multiple-tuning design greatly enlarges the free spectrum range and reduces the driving voltage. Imaging spectroscopic instruments can find applications in earth resources monitoring, precision agriculture, mineral exploration, medical imaging, military targeting, manufacturing and much more. The proposed fast broadband spectral imager has particular applications for air- or space-borne earth remote sensing. The success of this project will have great impacts not only to many current NSF sponsored R&D and commercial programs such as biological imaging and microscopic research programs, but also to defense applications such as target detection and recognition, as well as remote sensing that will directly relate to the country's security and economy.