NASA SBIR 2009 Solicitation

SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
HYPRES Inc
175 Clearbrook Rd
Elmsford, NY 10523 - 1109
(914) 592-1190

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Steven B Kaplan
kaplan@hypres.com
175 Clearbrook Rd
Elmsford, NY 10523 - 1109
(914) 592-1190 Extension :7814

Estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at beginning and end of contract:
Begin: 1
End: 2

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (Limit 2000 characters, approximately 200 words)
The purpose of this project is to develop a wideband digital spectrometer
to support space-born measurements of planetary atmospheric
composition. The spectrometer is based on a superconducting digitizer
and a digital autocorrelator. The digitizer will be able to handle the entire
6 -18 GHz band by operating above the Nyquist frequency (target: 30
GSamples/s). The superconducting circuits will be based on
Niobium-based Rapid Single Flux Quantum (RSFQ) technology. They will
be implemented without substantially impacting the cryogenic sensor
package. The data from the superconducting digitizer will be processed
by a 128-lag autocorrelator. During the Phase I performance period, we
will determine whether the autocorrelator is best implemented using the
RSFQ autocorrelator circuits we developed for the National Science
Foundation, or the polyphase implementation we recently produced using
fast FPGAs. The criteria for downselecting the best design will be the
projected Signal-to-Noise ratios and the relative added terms to the
system noise temperature.
Our choice of Niobium superconductor technology will enable one single
technology to implement the TerraHertz mixer, the digitizer, and the
fast manipulation of digital data on a low-power low-temperature platform.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words)
This project will simplify wideband spectrometers in space, on aircraft
or on earth by simultaneously utilizing low-power broad-bandwidth
digitizers and ultra-fast autocorrelators, along with high-resolution
digitization. The spectra of planetary atmospheric gases,
intergalactic dust, or red-shifted remnants of the big bang in the far
universe will not require using second intermediate frequencies,
additional analog circuits, or stitching together several spectra.
Targeted applications are:
• Global climate change and global circulation effects
• Effect of chloro-fluoro-carbons on the high atmosphere
• Atmospheric ozone chemistry
• Global air pollution
• Wideband studies of the early universe
This technology can substantially improve the present electronics used
for the Global Atmospheric Composition Mission and specifically the
Scanning Microwave Limb Sounder. It can also be used on earth-based
platforms such as the Atacama Large Millimeter/submillimeter Array.
As a cross-correlator, this instrument can improve the resolution and
overall performance of optical- and radio-telescope arrays.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words)
The most commercially viable non-NASA applications pertain to
homeland security and atmospheric monitoring, along with digital-RF
communications
• Detection of nitrogen-based compounds used in explosives
• Detection of biohazards
• Land-based or airborne air quality monitoring
• RF Spectrum monitoring for present and future wideband communications

NASA's technology taxonomy has been developed by the SBIR-STTR program to disseminate awareness of proposed and awarded R/R&D in the agency. It is a listing of over 100 technologies, sorted into broad categories, of interest to NASA.

TECHNOLOGY TAXONOMY MAPPING

Autonomous Control and Monitoring Biochemical Biomolecular Sensors Large Antennas and Telescopes Microwave/Submillimeter RF Sterilization/Pathogen and Microbial Control Superconductors and Magnetic Ultra-High Density/Low Power