Fully Integrated Optical Micro Gyroscope

76101-With the increased push toward system miniaturization and automation there exists a growing need for components that are small in size, reliable, robust, and cheap to manufacture. This is particularly true for systems used to detect the presence of weapons of mass destruction. Among those miniature components, high performance gyros are needed in real-time synthetic aperture radar systems that provide advanced imaging capabilities in a variety of environmental conditions where optical and infrared imaging systems cannot be used. This project will design, fabricate, and demonstrate a novel micro-gyroscope that is compact in size, rugged and robust, has no moving parts, and is completely compatible with planar/wafer-scale fabrication processes, thus being very well suited for low cost, high volume manufacturing. The gyro will be based on conventional electro-optic materials such as gallium arsenide, which are processed using nano-lithography and inductively coupled plasma etching. The device will incorporate all necessary sources, detectors, and optical waveguides on the same chip. Phase I will design an active optical component that will constitute the basis of the optical micro-gyro; design a mechanism and associated components for translating the information provided by the active optical component into rotation rates; and develop fabrication techniques for compound semiconductor materials. Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: The micro-gyroscope should find use in the guidance, navigation, and control systems installed on aircraft, missiles, satellites, missile interceptors, miniature kill vehicles, unmanned vehicles, automobiles, etc.