MICRO-FABRICATED CERAMIC COMPONENTS FOR OPTICAL FIBER CONNECTORS IN HARSH OPERATIONAL ENVIRONMENTS

"This Small Business Innovation Research Phase I project is designed to develop and characterize a novel ceramic material and microcomponent fabrication technique for application as optic fiber connectors in harsh operational environments experienced by theIntegrated Defense Electronics Countermeasures (IDECM) ALE-55 Fiber Optic Towed Decoy (FOTD). Current fiber-optic connectors do not possess the desired mechanical performance and high-temperature performance for FOTD applications, and often have a highfailure rate during operational conditions.The objective of the proposed research project is to utilize an innovative, cost-effective technique for microfabrication of ceramic components, developed at Ceramatec Inc., to fabricate optical fiber connectors with mechanical and thermomechaniccalproperties superior to current silicon technology. The proposed process is a low-temperature, net-shape fabrication technique that is expected to be efficient, cost-effective, scalable and environmentally friendly (no-byproducts). The proposed materialis a nanophase ceramic whose composition and microstructure can be tailored, depending on the specific requirements of the application, by simple changes in the processing technique. Our research will involve materials processing optimization andcharacterization of material properties including mechanical properties and thermal shock performance as a function of material composition and microstruct