Fiber Optic Refractive Index Matching Material

In this Navy Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) program, Tetramer has developed a UV curable adhesive, TIMA, for use in mechanical splices for the repair of avionic fiber optic systems in the F/A-18 Hornet and other Department of Defense plaforms. Through Phase I and Phase II efforts, the TIMA adhesive performance was demonstrated in a breadboard system, surpassing all applicable quality criteria outlined in MIL-PRF-24793A. Additionally, its shelf life and fiber splice performance were independently verified at the Naval Air Weapons Station China Lake and NAVAIR. In this Phase II.5 Program, Tetramer Technologies will continue to development by focusing on determining the environmental sensitivities with respect to splice configuration, mitigating operational risk through highly accelerated lifetime testing (HALT) in a representative system, and certification of the TIMA adhesive against applicable MIL specifications in splice components and environmental conditions that are representative of Navy avionics mission operations. TIMA is currently at a TRL of 5 and through the proposed technical objectives, Tetramer will advance the innovative TIMA™ adhesive technology to a TRL of 6-7 by the end of the Phase II.5.