Air Force Research Laboratory Grant: Mid-Infrared Laser Source and Laser Development

The US Air Force is in pursuit of materials technology advances for directed energy systems for high energy laser (HEL) systems, high power microwave (HPM) systems and mid-infrared laser source and laser development.

Materials advances for high energy lasers in the kilowatt range including new fiber laser materials, advances in current fiber laser materials and development of materials for high power optical isolation in fiber lasers is desired.

High power microwave systems require improvements in window materials to address window technology development for HPM systems. Particularly, pursuit of optical diamond for improved strength and toughness with lower cost production capability is desired. Additionally, for other HPM applications, improvements in window durability and optical transmission are desired to yield decreased absorption and reflection loss for the transmission of 300 megawatts of microwave power.

Multiple contract awards are anticipated with various dollar values. Contract periods of performance are anticipated to be for 36 months plus 3 months for final reports. The Directed Energy Materials Program is being initiated via release of this BAA Number 09-11-PKM announcement. This announcement describes the overall program. Calls to the BAA/solicitation will be issued to request cost and technical proposals for specific Directed Energy Materials technologies in one or more of the following technical areas: High Energy Laser Materials, including High Energy Laser Fibers Development and Improvement and Optical Isolation, Mid-Infrared Laser Source and Laser Development, and High Power Microwave Windows. BAA Calls will contain descriptions of the Directed Energy Materials efforts to be addressed, anticipated period of performance, and the expected dollar range for requested proposals. Once a BAA Call is issued on the Federal Business Opportunities (FedBizOpps) website, offerors will have 30 to 45 calendar days (the actual period will be specified in the BAA Call(s)) from the announcement date to submit cost and technical proposals. Proposals received outside of the set forth period (i.e. a BAA Call already issued and the proposal due date has passed, or a BAA Call has not yet been issued) will not be reviewed and will be returned to the offeror. NOTE: Proposal receipt after the due date and time shall be governed by the provisions of FAR 52.215-1(c)(3). Multiple BAA Calls are anticipated and may be announced sequentially or concurrently. The Government also reserves the right to make no award against any subsequent BAA Call.

Address technical questions to: William Mitchell, 3005 Hobson Way, Wright-Patterson AFB, OH 45433, 937-255-9583, William.Mitchell@wpafb.af.mil.

CALL 3: Mid-Infrared Laser Source and Laser Development.
There is a need to develop materials that will enable high power (tens of Watts) and/or high energy (at least 100’s of millijoules per pulse for pulse lengths of 100 nanoseconds or less) laser sources operating in the mid-infrared atmospheric transmission band (2 to 5 microns). While this call welcomes any proposal that bears on generation of high power or high energy laser light between 2 and 5 microns, we have a specific interest in the following topics:

(1) Development of new non-oxide orientation patterned nonlinear optical crystals for quasi phase matching applications capable of generating light in the full 2 to 5 micron band. Potential for scale up of apertures to several millimeters are of special interest.

(2) Development of materials and material processes to advance the state of the art of infrared (2 to 5 microns) fiber materials for transmission and/or as laser hosts. The goal is a fiber with low optical loss (<0.1dB/m) over a broad portion of the spectral range. Methods to lower fiber connector losses to 0.1dB/coupling or lower are also of interest. (3) Development of new bulk nonlinear optical crystals for production of high power and/or high energy light between 2 and 5 microns (with special emphasis placed on 4.5 – 5 microns) converted from a 1 micron, 1.55 micron, or 2 micron pump source.