NASA SBIR 2003 Solicitation

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Brimrose Corporation of America
5024 Campbell Blvd., Suite E
Baltimore ,MD 21236 - 4968
(410) 931 - 7200

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Sudhir B. Trivedi
strivedi@brimrose.com
5024 Campbell Blvd., Suite E
Baltimore ,MD  21236 -4968
(410) 668 - 5800
U.S. Citizen or Legal Resident: Yes

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (LIMIT 200 WORDS)
In Phase II we will develop transparent Nd:Yttria ceramic laser materials that can operate at 914 nm and 946 nm suitable for applications in ozone LIDAR systems. We will strive to further optimize Nd:Yttria ceramics with a focus on improving the overall transmission of the material as well as optimizing the Nd dopant concentration. The goal is to develop Nd: Yttria laser materials with high figure-of-merit (FOM) that do not suffer from Nd concentration quenching. We will investigate Nd:Yttria ceramics as solid-state laser materials. Initial testing will be done at the primary emission wavelength of 1.07 ?m. Laser performance studies will be based on pulsed, quasi-cw, and cw end-pumping schemes. We will also develop the Nd: Y2O3 ceramics for laser applications at 914 nm and 946 nm. The optimized ceramic materials developed will be used for laser experiments at 914nm and 946nm. Initial experiments will be carried out at reduced temperature (77K). After successful demonstration of low-temperature lasing at 914nm/946nm, the possibility of efficient lasing at higher temperatures (up to 300K) will be explored. Different laser designs will be employed including end-pumping schemes and the thin-disk laser configuration.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (LIMIT 100 WORDS)
The ceramic laser material that will be developed during this research will have potential applications in LIDAR remote sensing applications. Nd:Y2O3 has emission lines at 914 nm and 946 nm, which, when frequency tripled, correspond to ~305 nm and ~315 nm. These wavelengths are of particular interest for differential absorption lidar (DIAL). DIAL techniques are used to determine molecular constituent concentrations present in the atmosphere such as ozone and green house gases, which are of particular interest because of their impact on the environment.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (LIMIT 100 WORDS)
Polycrystalline ceramic lasers have enormous potential commercial applications. Commercial applications include remote sensing, chemical detection and scientific research. Furthermore, the cost to produce ceramic laser materials is potentially much lower than that for single crystal materials because of the shorter time it takes to fabricate the material and also because of the possibility of mass production.