SMALL BUSINESS CONCERN (Firm Name, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Fantom Materials, Inc.
3038 Aukele Street
Lihue, HI 96766 - 1464
(808) 245-6465

PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR/PROJECT MANAGER (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
William Fischer
bill.fischer@fantommaterials.com
3038 Aukele Street
Lihue, HI 96766 - 1464
(808) 245-6465

CORPORATE/BUSINESS OFFICIAL (Name, E-mail, Mail Address, City/State/Zip, Phone)
Lauren Bolton
lauren.bolton@fantommaterials.com
3038 Aukele Street
Lihue, HI 96766 - 1464
(808) 246-6465

Estimated Technology Readiness Level (TRL) at beginning and end of contract:
Begin: 5
End: 6

Technology Available (TAV) Subtopics
Advanced Optical Systems and Fabrication/Testing/Control Technologies for EUV/Optical and IR Telescope is a Technology Available (TAV) subtopic that includes NASA Intellectual Property (IP). Do you plan to use the NASA IP under the award?
No

TECHNICAL ABSTRACT (Limit 2000 characters, approximately 200 words)
NASA MSFC, GSFC and JPL are interested in Ultra-Stable Mirror Support Structures for Exoplanet Missions. Telescopes with Apertures of 4-meters or larger and using an internal coronagraph require a telescope wavefront stability that is on the order of 10 pico-meters RMS per 10 minutes. Interest is also for IR/FIR missions requiring 8-meter or larger diameter mirrors with cryogenic deformations <100 nm RMS. Fantom Materials is specifically responding to the need for ultra-stable mirror support structure traceable to the needs of Cosmic Origins for UVOIR, Exo and FIR telescopes, including mirror support structures, whiffle plates, delta frames and strongbacks. HoneySiC material has multiple features that make it very attractive as a potential future deployment hinge and latching material: 1) It's an additively manufactured Ceramic Matrix Composite (CMC) with no Coefficient of Moisture Expansion (CME). Individually molded parts become a monolithic construct, thus it is possible to manufacture an entire telescope using HoneySiC, 2) It's extremely light weight (HoneySiC panels have about 1/5 the density of beryllium, 3) It's extremely dimensionally stable due to a zero-CTE across a temperature range of -196C to RT. The thermal conductivity can be supercharged by addition of carbon nanotubes. The overarching program objective is to demonstrate HoneySiC as an ultra-stable structural telescope material. In Phase I, Fantom measured CTE and mechanical properties for HoneySiC HCMC and H2CMN to bring the basic material properties measurements closer to completion. In Phase II Fantom intends to is to continue collaboration with NASA MSFC, GSFC, JPL and Northrop Grumman Aerospace Systems in the design of a prototype whiffle plate, delta frame, tube structure or other optical structure that could be used to support mirror-class, space-based telescope applications, like the JWST Composite Backplane.

POTENTIAL NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words)
From the present state-of-the-art it will take an 8 order-of-magnitude improvement in materials stability to achieve future picometer requirements. This project is the point of departure for ultra-stable mirror support structures made using first-generation zero CTE HoneySiC (circa 2014), and 2nd generation Hierarchical Hybrid Ceramic Matrix Nano-composite (H2CMN, circa 2016). These extremely promising engineered ceramic matrix composite materials will replace the status quo, moisture-absorbing, organic matrix composites used in the present state-of-the-art composites, as well as to directly replace beryllium. 1st and 2nd generation HoneySiC will provide the low areal cost, low areal density, low cost and ultra-stability that is required for future EUV, UV/O and Far-IR mission telescopes.

POTENTIAL NON-NASA COMMERCIAL APPLICATIONS (Limit 1500 characters, approximately 150 words)
Low cost, lightweight, dimensionally stable HoneySiC material has use in complex telescopes for Astronomy, Imaging and Remote Sensing applications, including optical instruments/telescopes which enable imaging, surveillance, and reconnaissance missions for police and paramilitary units, fire fighters, power and pipeline monitoring, search and rescue, atmospheric and ocean monitoring, imagery and mapping for resource management, and disaster relief and communications. The dual-use nature of complex telescopes will bring affordability to national defense missions as well.