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*STTR Project: Fully Integrated Optical Micro Gyroscope—Elsicon,
Inc.,
Dr. Iulian Codreanu, Principal Investigator, icodreanu@elsicon.com
Dr. Wayne M. Gibbons, Business Official, wmgibbons@elsicon.com
DOE Grant No. DE-FG02-04ER86210
Amount: $750,000
Research Institution
Tactical grade, miniature gyroscopes are needed in real-time synthetic aperture radar systems that provide the advanced imaging capabilities needed for the detection of nuclear proliferation activities and the enforcement of nuclear nonproliferation agreements. This project will design, fabricate, and demonstrate a breadboard miniature gyroscope that is compact in size, is rugged and robust, has no moving parts, and is completely compatible with planar/wafer-scale fabrication processes – thus being very well suited for low cost, high volume manufacturing. Phase I developed an approach for removing gyro lock-in at low rotation rates, developed and refined fabrication processes, and identified geometric parameters needed to attain the desired performance. Phase II will demonstrate the performance and stable operation of the gyroscope components, integrate the components onto a breadboard, and build a prototype breadboard optical gyroscope.
Commercial Applications and Other Benefits as described by the awardee: The mini-gyroscope should find use in both the military and commercial sectors. Military applications include platform stabilization, attitude and heading reference systems (AHRS), torpedoes, tactical missiles, smart munitions, and navigation for land military vehicles. Commercial applications include oil drilling and exploration, and tunnel boring equipment. Lower performance optical gyros could compete with the current micro-electro-mechanical systems gyros in such consumer applications as automobiles, robotics, and camera stabilization.