SBIR Phase II: Control System Development for Microelectromechanical Systems (MEMS) Segmented Deformable Mirrors

The SBIR Phase II project aims to develop an integrated control system for adaptive optics (AO) systems based on microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) deformable mirrors (DM). Under ideal circumstances, the resolution of an optical system is limited by the diffraction of light waves. Due to imperfections in optical components however, the limits are never achieved. AO is a technology that enhances the performance of optical systems such as telescopes and microscopes by reducing distortion. It can lead to significantly sharper images which can approach the theoretical diffraction limit. The increase in image sharpness also allows additional gains in contrast, thus allowing detection of faint objects. Although AO has been significantly used for improving the performance of telescopes, an AO system based on MEMS deformable mirrors for use in biomedical applications has not. It would significantly improve image quality and would likely find multiple applications. As such, it would lead to the adoption of AO in a variety of biological imaging settings and would be of benefit to scientists engaged in such research.