Advanced Multi-Temperature Load Cooler

"The Air Force needs advanced multistage cryogenic cooling technologies. We propose to adapt cryocooler technology we are currently developing for the AFRL to multistage cooling. Our cryocooler technology has two potential advantages over othertechnologies: (1) more efficient operation at cold load temperatures; and (2) smaller size and lighter weight. These potential advantages will also apply when our cryocooler technology is adapted to multistage cooling. In Phase I, we will demonstratesimultaneous cooling of loads at two temperatures. In Phase II, we will optimize the multistage-cooler configuration, and build and test the optimized cooler. In Phase III, we will sell multistage coolers to the government and private sector. Thecommercial potential of our multistage cooler technology is great because it enables efficient operation at cold temperatures with a compact and lightweight cooler. Commercial applications of our coolers include cooling for: space-based stored cryogensfor space-based lasers, orbit transfer vehicles, and propellant storage depots; space-based detectors; NASA propellant manufacturing on Mars; CMOS circuits; multi-chip modules; filterbanks; high-speed switches; stable oscillators for radar applications;filters for cellular phones; instrumentation for medical monitoring; and primary voltage standards."