Miniature and Low-Cost Magnetometers for Autonomous Navigation in GPS Denied Environment with Highly Improved Vertical Cavity Laser devices

Our goal in this program is to develop precision autonomous navigation capability in GPS denied environment with ultra-high sensitivity magnetometers using high performance Vertical Cavity Surface Emitting Lasers ( VCSELs) at the rubidium D1 wavelength for the UAVs and other air vehicles. High performance VCSELs are the most critical components in such magnetometers but there are no suppliers of VCSELs with adequate power levels for this application. The products developed in this SBIR would rectify that situation. We would develop high performance VCSELs with a maximum power level of 20mW or higher with high temperature performance with low relative intensity noise, very stable polarization, ultra-narrow linewidth and other desirable features for magnetometers and other atomic sensors applications and our team partner will develop a high performance, low cost, miniature magnetometer using such VCSELs for Army applications.